<p>Newsweek Poll</p>
<p>91% of Americans believe in God</p>
<p>48% reject evolution</p>
<p>Six in ten (62 percent) registered voters say they would not vote for a candidate who is an atheist. Majorities of each major party ? 78 percent of Repulicans and 60 percent of Democrats ? rule out such an option.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17879317/site/newsweek/[/url]”>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17879317/site/newsweek/</a></p>
<p>Comments?</p>
<p>The numbers are about what I would expect them to be, though the evolution one is higher than I personally would like to see.</p>
<p>I personally find this extremely interesting - it was a point made by Richard Dawkins, namely that in terms of politics, atheists are the most maligned minority in America. Aside from that though, the proportion of people who don’t believe evolution to be true is somewhat stunning, and really reflects the somewhat sad state of science education in many parts of America, as well as the pervasive influence of the Church (and other religious groups).</p>
<p>I vote AA for atheists. ;)</p>
<p>First number is fine by me. Second two make me extremely depressed, particularly the one on evolution. Not surprised, but…in a few decades, are we going to be hearing about classes where gravity is “just a theory”?</p>
<p>And I’ve really never been clear just what people have against atheists. They seem to have achieved a degree of anathema that seems fairly out of proportion with their small number and relative harmlessness…but then, I’m Jewish (and somewhat agnostic, but that’s a long story).</p>
<p>they are undermining the moral basis upon which American society was founded!</p>
<p>“they” meaning “we”, haha.</p>
<p>Yeah, number one seems right, and what’s great is how many different ways folks do so.</p>
<p>The second is, basically, an embarrassment.</p>
<p>And the third is not surprising, though I hope we are evolving (:)) beyond that.</p>
<p>WOW. The evolution number is way too high. I had no idea. No wonder there is such an outcry over what to print in high school textbooks. </p>
<p>While both are entitled to their own opinions, I personally am thinkin’ that I’d rather have an atheist than an extreme religious rightist running the country.</p>
<p>Well, I don’t care what my leaders believe about the next world. I care whether they appear to understand what’s going on in this one. That’s the part that worries me at the moment.</p>
<p>I remember seeing a similar poll and instead of 91% God believer the number was much much lower like something around 30-40%. I’ll post the link if I found it.</p>
<p>so can we get this “91%” to agree on what “God” is?
How do we define God?</p>
<p>If we all agree we believe in something- but all disagree on what that something is, is that a problem?</p>
<p>That’s kind of what I was saying, EK. Since the question doesn’t seem to have asked for a definition, who don’t know what how the answerers were defining God. Which, I think, is a good thing.</p>
<p>If the question were about “spriritual beliefs”, the 91% might resonate.</p>
<p>1004 people seems kind of small for a Poll
but it was also interesting to read that
32% feel that religion is too present in politics
48% feel that evolution is well supported by evidence and accepted by the scientific community
68% feel that a person can be moral & an atheist</p>
<p>I also noted that they didn’t do the survey in my neck of the woods
Not if 35% noted that they were evangelical Protestants
( but maybe they were the ones that were home to answer the phone- according to a ABC news Poll, 49% of evangelicals have incomes under $50,000)
<a href=“http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/beliefnet_poll_010718.html[/url]”>http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/beliefnet_poll_010718.html</a></p>
<p>sample size, location, and questions always get you the results you seek. </p>
<p>Ahh, I love stats.</p>
<p>96% of six-year-olds believe in the tooth-fairy.</p>
<p>(I’m actually much more interested in how people define “believe in”.)</p>