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Zogby Report: Teach the Controversy

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This nationwide poll of 1,202 American adults was conducted by Zogby International from Saturday, August 25 to Wednesday, August 29, 2001. All telephone calls were made from Zogby International headquarters in Utica, N.Y. The margin of error is +/-3.0%. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups. (Note: percentages are rounded off to the nearest number and might not equal 100).


More than seven in ten (71%) respondents believe Darwin’s theory of evolution should be taught, but such instruction should include evidence against the theory. Fourteen percent are not sure. Those who feel that the scientific evidence that goes against Darwin’s theory should be taught include 78% each of Republicans, residents of the West, and parents of children under 17. Most 18-29 year-olds (80%) also agree that teachers should include the evidence against the theory of evolution. But as age increases, agreement decreases, to 59% of seniors 65 and older.

Despite the overwhelming support in each sub-group for teaching both points of view, some sub-groups are more likely than others to believe that Darwin’s theory and only the scientific evidence supporting it should be taught (Statement A). An average 21% of residents of the East and suburbs think only Darwin’s theory should be taught, and this agreement generally increases with age.

Zogby-Final-Report-2001

The Center for Science and Culture

Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture advances the understanding that human beings and nature are the result of intelligent design rather than a blind and undirected process. We seek long-term scientific and cultural change through cutting-edge scientific research and scholarship; education and training of young leaders; communication to the general public; and advocacy of academic freedom and free speech for scientists, teachers, and students.