Survey: Most want evolution taught

U.S. adults want evolution taught in public schools even though most believe God created humans on the sixth day of the universe, a survey found.

A Scripps Howard/Ohio University poll found half of the 1,005 adults questioned support President George W. Bush's suggestion that public schools should also teach intelligent design, which says an intelligent being played a role in the evolution of humans.

Fifty-four percent of respondents said they believe God created the universe and humans in a six-day period, 23 percent said humans evolved from other animal species through natural selection and 17 percent said God caused humans to evolve from other species. Six percent were undecided.

Sixty-nine percent agreed that evolution is what most scientists believe, so it should be taught in public school science classes, but 20 percent said they believe scientists are wrong, so evolution should not be taught, reported the Scripps Howard News Service Friday.

The survey was conducted by the Survey Research Center at Ohio State University and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International