[NetBehaviour] U.S. Lags World in Grasp of Genetics and Acceptance of Evolution.

[info]

U.S. Lags World in Grasp of Genetics and Acceptance of Evolution.

By Ker Than.

A comparison of peoples' views in 34 countries finds that the United 
States ranks near the bottom when it comes to public acceptance of 
evolution. Only Turkey ranked lower.

Among the factors contributing to America's low score are poor 
understanding of biology, especially genetics, the politicization of 
science and the literal interpretation of the Bible by a small but vocal 
group of American Christians, the researchers say.

“American Protestantism is more fundamentalist than anybody except 
perhaps the Islamic fundamentalist, which is why Turkey and we are so 
close,” said study co-author Jon Miller of Michigan State University.

The researchers combined data from public surveys on evolution collected 
from 32 European countries, the United States and Japan between 1985 and 
2005. Adults in each country were asked whether they thought the 
statement “Human beings, as we know them, developed from earlier species 
of animals,” was true, false, or if they were unsure.

The study found that over the past 20 years:

-The percentage of U.S. adults who accept evolution declined from 45 to 
40 percent.
-The percentage overtly rejecting evolution declined from 48 to 39 
percent, however.
-And the percentage of adults who were unsure increased, from 7 to 21 
percent.

Of the other countries surveyed, only Turkey ranked lower, with about 25 
percent of the population accepting evolution and 75 percent rejecting 
it. In Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and France, 80 percent or more of adults 
accepted evolution; in Japan, 78 percent of adults did.

more...
http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060810_evo_rank.html