A new study released by Gallup shows that a large number of Americans still subscribe to the concept of creationism as an explanation for life itself.
While the research showed that a majority of Americans still believe in the process of evolution, a staggering 40% espouse a creationist viewpoint — believing that God created everything in our universe at some point over the past 10,000 years.
As you’d expect, when the poll results are broken down by religious categories and individual spiritual behavior, stark differences can be observed.
For example, some 68% of those who attend church weekly believe that God alone created man in present form. This percentage drops to 27% among those who very rarely show up to Sunday service.
Protestants are much more likely to believe in a fundamental understanding of God-ordained creationism, in comparison to Catholics, who tend to believe that man has developed with the guidance of God’s hand (46%).
Just 6% of protestants believe that God has played absolutely no part in the development of mankind at all, whereas 59% of those who do not affiliate with any religion believe this to be true.
Indeed, overall, the number of Americans who reject the idea that God had anything to do with their creation “marks a record high dating back to 1982,” Gallup noted.
When analyzed in correlation to the education-level of participants, more interesting results can be seen. Forty percent of those who hold a college degree believe that man has developed with God’s guidance, which is 10% more than those who do not possess higher education.
However, among those who believe that God created mankind in its present form, the percentages double for those who don’t hold a degree compared to those who do.
The survey was conducted between June 3-16 and involved 1,015 adults.