One in ten Britons do not believe in evolution

MANY of us might think the scientific debate started by Charles Darwin in 1 59 has long since been settled.

But one in ten Britons do not believe in evolution, a survey has found. They believe God created man directly, as in the story of Adam and Eve.

The research, which was also carried out in Canada and the US, found 9 per cent agreed with the statement ‘Humans and other living things were created by God and have always existed in their current form.’ In America, the figure was far higher, with one in four shunning evolution. Nearly one in seven Canadians also rejected evolutionary science.

Some 71 per cent of Britons said they believe in evolution. This includes religious believers and the non-religious.

The researchers, presenting their findings at the British Sci- ence Festival in Brighton, found that it is not only the religious who have doubts about Darwin’s discovery.

More than one in ten UK atheists agreed with the statement: ‘Animals evolve over time but evolutionary science cannot explain the origins of human beings.’

Doctor Fern Elsdon-Baker, of Newman University in Birmingham, who carried out the research, said: ‘ The most encouraging aspect of the survey is that there appears to be a large majority who accept evolutionary science ... However, it does throw up some startling results when it comes to public views of the origin of humans and human consciousness. We found similar trends across all religious and nonreligious adults ... that suggest a range of people are uncertain of evolutionary sciencebased explanations.’

‘Startling results’