A new global survey has revealed that evolutionary science and religion are more compatible than many of us assume, and that subscribers to both “scientific” and “religious” worldviews are willing to question their models of belief in surprising ways.
The survey was conducted by the University of Birmingham and YouGov. It explores the beliefs of religious, spiritual and non-religious people in seven countries - the UK, the USA, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Germany and Spain - making it one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind. Over 2000 people in each country were surveyed.
The findings show that the majority of people in each country, whether they be religious, spiritual, or not, accept the idea of evolutionary science.
Despite this widespread acceptance, the survey also found a clear process of social projection across all countries, with the majority of respondents thinking that religious people would struggle to accept evolutionary science – even, somewhat surprisingly, by those who are themselves religious.
For example, the results show that in the UK, 82% of people think “evolutionary processes can explain how all organisms, including humans, have developed and continue to develop”, including 76% of all those who identified as religious or spiritual.
However, three in five (62%) of the UK public think that a religious member of the public would find evolutionary science difficult to accept. This represents a mismatch between what religious people believe themselves, and what people think religious people believe regarding evolutionary science.
The results of our study might be surprising to some. It shows that there can often be issues that unite rather than divide us across communities that might ordinarily be perceived to be in conflict. We can see there are sections of non-religious publics and religious/spiritual publics alike grappling with similar existential questions about what it is to be human beyond scientific explanations, whilst also similarly questioning the role of religion in society.
Professor Fern Elsdon-Baker, University of Birmingham
Yet the research also shows that belief in particular worldviews is not as clear-cut as we might think. Many people expressed uncertainty or doubtfulness about different aspects of evolutionary science or religion.
In the UK, for example, there is significant doubt about the role of evolution in developing human consciousness. While this doubt is amplified in religious/spiritual people (with 50% feeling uncertain or disagreeing), it is not unique to this cohort.
Over a third (37%) of non-religious/spiritual people also expressed doubt - showing that they are looking beyond solely scientific explanations for existential questions about human consciousness.
Similarly, the research showed that religious people are questioning the role of religion in society.
One in three (32%) of religious/spiritual people in the UK believe that religion has more negative consequences than positive – a figure which clearly shows a willingness to be critical of religion. It rises to 68% for people who do not identify as religious/spiritual.
Professor Fern Elsdon-Baker, who led the project at the University of Birmingham, comments: “The results of our study might be surprising to some. It shows that there can often be issues that unite rather than divide us across communities that might ordinarily be perceived to be in conflict. We can see there are sections of non-religious publics and religious/spiritual publics alike grappling with similar existential questions about what it is to be human beyond scientific explanations, whilst also similarly questioning the role of religion in society.
“Our results show that the public can often be less starkly polarised than we might imagine – even around what is thought to be such a hot topic issue as evolutionary science.
“In times when we might often feel like people and different communities are increasingly opposed on key issues, it is important to remember that this might similarly be linked to popular misconceptions based on a process of projection and stereotyping. Much like we have found with debates around evolutionary science, creationism, and religious beliefs.”
Globally, the research found that ‘creationism’ was a minority position for the public in each country, even among those who identified as religious or spiritual.
In the UK, 12% of people endorse a creationist perspective. Levels of creationism were highest in the USA globally, at 24% - though this is significantly lower than other polls have suggested.
A report summarising the findings of the survey is now available. The research project forms part of the International Research Network for the Study of Science and Belief in Society, an initiative funded by Templeton Religion Trust.
