A recent survey conducted in the United Kingdom and Canada found that the majority of respondents in both countries accepted evolution, according to a September 5, 2017, press release.
Respondents were told "People have different views about the origin of species and development of life on Earth. Which of the following statements comes closest to your view about the origin and development of life on Earth" and presented with five options:
- Humans and other living things were created by God and have always existed in their current form — preferred by 9% of British and 15% of Canadian respondents;
- Humans and other living things evolved over time, in a process guided by God — preferred by 22% of British and 24% of Canadian respondents;
- Humans and other living things evolved over time as a result of natural selection, in which God played no part — preferred by 49% of British and 36% of Canadian respondents;
- I have another view about the origin of species and development of life on Earth which isn't included in this list — preferred by 10% of British and 11% of Canadian respondents; and
- I don't know / I do not have a view on the origin of species and the development of life on Earth — preferred by 10% of British and 14% of Canadian respondents.
The survey also investigated the influence of religious beliefs on attitudes toward evolution, attitudes toward human evolution in particular, and attitudes toward whether evolutionary processes explain consciousness.
Commissioned by Newman University, the survey was conducted by YouGov on-line among 2129 British adults between May 12 and June 6, 2017, and among 2009 Canadian adults between May 17 and June 12, 2017; figures were weighted for representativeness.