How they conduct the 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
The final line under the 'Implication' section pretty much sums it up though:
"All in all, there is no evidence in this trend of a substantial movement toward a secular viewpoint on human origins."
I would contrast this to the recent news out of Britain:
Spoiler: Click to ViewPHA+PGltZyBzcmM9Imh0dHA6Ly9pcjIuZmxpZmUuZGUvZGF0YS9uYXRjZW4tc29jaWFsLXJlc2VhcmNoL2lnYl9odG1sL2kvODAwLzEwMDAwMDFfMTk1X2UuanBnIiBhbHQ9ImltYWdlIi8+PC9wPgo8cD4oPGEgaHJlZj0iaHR0cDovL2lyMi5mbGlmZS5kZS9kYXRhL25hdGNlbi1zb2NpYWwtcmVzZWFyY2gvaWdiX2h0bWwvaW5kZXgucGhwP2JlcmljaHRfaWQ9MTAwMDAwMSZhbXA7aW5kZXg9JmFtcDtsYW5nPUVORyIgdGl0bGU9IiIgdGFyZ2V0PSJfYmxhbmsiPlJlcG9ydCBsaW5rIGhlcmU8L2E+KTwvcD4=
So...yeah. Opinions? And why d'you think they're different? And do the Canadians among us have any numbers on their country considering the relative proximity to the US?
I think it's rather silly to use landline telephones at this point for polling, and I don't think the sample can be considered entirely representative because of this. The kind of people who still have landlines are the ones who still have AOL accounts. Namely, old white people afraid of change. So I'm questionable of the use of 600 landlines.
Edit: It seems this is a mixed poll. That's good but still not great, because not everyone answers.[1]
If they had look at undergraduates over time, I hope there would be a more noticeable shift. I'm not sure though. I always forget about how all the people in the flyover states screw up my perception of what "America" is like.
The local culture is intertwined with the local religion - There are apparently large pockets of population centers and areas where the culture goes hand and hand with the church. In Britain, the culture had snubbed the church somewhat, even though you lie when someone asks you if you went to Sunday sermon last week to make yourself feel better and somehow more pious.
The people that drafted the declaration of independence and worked hard to try and remove influence of any church from the document had been rich, male, white British former-citizens that were about to rebel against their masters. Most of them weren't particularly attached to the church or to religion at all, but it wasn't the same with most of the local populace. The only solution here is to fend off their political maneuvers and win over the next generation by informing them of reality in schools and the media.
TheIronRuler: The local culture is intertwined with the local religion - There are apparently large pockets of population centers and areas where the culture goes hand and hand with the church. In Britain, the culture had snubbed the church somewhat, even though you lie when someone asks you if you went to Sunday sermon last week to make yourself feel better and somehow more pious.
The people that drafted the declaration of independence and worked hard to try and remove influence of any church from the document had been rich, male, white British former-citizens that were about to rebel against their masters. Most of them weren't particularly attached to the church or to religion at all, but it wasn't the same with most of the local populace. The only solution here is to fend off their political maneuvers and win over the next generation by informing them of reality in schools and the media.
You make it sound as if there is something wrong for religious people to vote. Doesn't Israel have a fair number of religious people who vote as well? I mean do most 20 something Israelis really care about East Jerusalem as much as Orthodox Jews do?
TheIronRuler: The local culture is intertwined with the local religion - There are apparently large pockets of population centers and areas where the culture goes hand and hand with the church. In Britain, the culture had snubbed the church somewhat, even though you lie when someone asks you if you went to Sunday sermon last week to make yourself feel better and somehow more pious.
The people that drafted the declaration of independence and worked hard to try and remove influence of any church from the document had been rich, male, white British former-citizens that were about to rebel against their masters. Most of them weren't particularly attached to the church or to religion at all, but it wasn't the same with most of the local populace. The only solution here is to fend off their political maneuvers and win over the next generation by informing them of reality in schools and the media.
You make it sound as if there is something wrong for religious people to vote. Doesn't Israel have a fair number of religious people who vote as well? I mean do most 20 something Israelis really care about East Jerusalem as much as Orthodox Jews do?
I don't think I hinted at that at the slightest.
Israel has a large population of orthodox Jews that mostly do not contribute into the public treasury. Some of them do not recognize Israel as a sovereign nation and live in Jerusalem. You will be surprised how many people in the Israeli public, non-religious Jews want to keep Jerusalem as their capital, a majority want to keep it whole. There is a local law stating that Jerusalem is Israel's capital but it's the same as me declaring myself as my own kingdom - doctors that want to preform a prostate exam on me won't have to get a visa... not because I have an open borders agreement with Israel.
TheIronRuler: The local culture is intertwined with the local religion - There are apparently large pockets of population centers and areas where the culture goes hand and hand with the church. In Britain, the culture had snubbed the church somewhat, even though you lie when someone asks you if you went to Sunday sermon last week to make yourself feel better and somehow more pious.
The people that drafted the declaration of independence and worked hard to try and remove influence of any church from the document had been rich, male, white British former-citizens that were about to rebel against their masters. Most of them weren't particularly attached to the church or to religion at all, but it wasn't the same with most of the local populace. The only solution here is to fend off their political maneuvers and win over the next generation by informing them of reality in schools and the media.
You make it sound as if there is something wrong for religious people to vote. Doesn't Israel have a fair number of religious people who vote as well? I mean do most 20 something Israelis really care about East Jerusalem as much as Orthodox Jews do?
I don't think I hinted at that at the slightest.
Israel has a large population of orthodox Jews that mostly do not contribute into the public treasury. Some of them do not recognize Israel as a sovereign nation and live in Jerusalem. You will be surprised how many people in the Israeli public, non-religious Jews want to keep Jerusalem as their capital, a majority want to keep it whole. There is a local law stating that Jerusalem is Israel's capital but it's the same as me declaring myself as my own kingdom - doctors that want to preform a prostate exam on me won't have to get a visa... not because I have an open borders agreement with Israel.
If not for religion, then why do they care about Jerusalem. I know why us American Jews care, and religion is a big reason why. Why do Israelis care if it is Tel Aviv or Jerusalem?
Oh dear God why... Guess I'm moving to England! I've always loved their accents, maybe I can develop one after being there for a few years. Widespread ignorance is quite a downer. Anything short of a massive education reform in regards to scientific inquiry is the only hope. I question the authenticity of the results, but if these numbers are accurate, I am quite worried for the future of America.
Helmholtz Watson: You make it sound as if there is something wrong for religious people to vote. Doesn't Israel have a fair number of religious people who vote as well? I mean do most 20 something Israelis really care about East Jerusalem as much as Orthodox Jews do?
I don't think I hinted at that at the slightest.
Israel has a large population of orthodox Jews that mostly do not contribute into the public treasury. Some of them do not recognize Israel as a sovereign nation and live in Jerusalem. You will be surprised how many people in the Israeli public, non-religious Jews want to keep Jerusalem as their capital, a majority want to keep it whole. There is a local law stating that Jerusalem is Israel's capital but it's the same as me declaring myself as my own kingdom - doctors that want to preform a prostate exam on me won't have to get a visa... not because I have an open borders agreement with Israel.
If not for religion, then why do they care about Jerusalem. I know why us American Jews care, and religion is a big reason why. Why do Israelis care if it is Tel Aviv or Jerusalem?
Our culture is derived and rooted in the Jewish Religion. Even if you are secular you go through the education system and your society with a love for the city, I can't explain it very well. Perhaps if you split the city - but then memories of '67 and the famous picture of the paratroopers weeping at the wailing wall hit you. Why would we settle in Israel at all if it weren't for religion? The nationality of Jews is derived of the religion of Judaism and the cultures that surrounded it (Ashkenazi, Mezrahi, etc.)
I had hoped the number of Creationists would've depleted somewhat more by now and be replaced by Theistic Evolution as part of a moderating trend, but I guess it'll be quite a while longer.
Dags90: I think it's rather silly to use landline telephones at this point for polling, and I don't think the sample can be considered entirely representative because of this. The kind of people who still have landlines are the ones who still have AOL accounts. Namely, old white people afraid of change. So I'm questionable of the use of 600 landlines.
Oi. I still have a landline and I am certainly not an old white people! Well, okay, I'm not that old yet... >.>
It's just that I use a prepaid cell and my internet is not exactly the most reliable thing in the world, so VOIP is out. My landline's been down exactly once in 20 years. I think that kind of reliability's worth it.
Skeleon: I had hoped the number of Creationists would've depleted somewhat more by now and be replaced by Theistic Evolution as part of a moderating trend, but I guess it'll be quite a while longer.
no people are still grasping to intelligent design (no the ID movement does not accept theistic evolution).
Awesome, 15%. I hate to say it, but we are a Christian Nation(tm) if in all but name. Things like this make me so depressed and honestly make me want to emigrate, even though I can't for at least another four years. What are the numbers in Canada? I figure its got to be easier to emigrate to than Britain and I'm just so tired of being led around by the religious masses. Fuck it, I'll move to Seattle, close enough.
Don't always listen to polls. As Dags pointed out, the fact this was done over landlines will change the results. The average of those answering will be older than the average age of the United States. How often do you use your landlines? Do you even have a landline? I don't, I don't see a reason to when I have a cell phone. One less bill to be paid.
Also, people who answer any kind of polls often feel more strongly, since no poll can force you to answer it, bending the result one way or another. Who would you think feels strongly enough to bother to answer yes or no to this phone spam? People who think that evolution is real and that has no direct effect on their life or somebody who believes that evolution is being taught by Satan to get children to reject God and the Bible?
I hope that the real average American does not believe in this trash.
So...yeah. Opinions? And why d'you think they're different? And do the Canadians among us have any numbers on their country considering the relative proximity to the US?
That's an americian thing. Our religious folks aren't so nutty on average.
Not G. Ivingname: How often do you use your landlines? Do you even have a landline? I don't, I don't see a reason to when I have a cell phone. One less bill to be paid.
I have one, but not because I'm afraid of change.
My brother, an early adopted for cell phones who had one almost glued to his head, got brain cancer EXACTLY where the tip of the antena was for most of the history of cell phones. His brain surgeon thought it likely there is a connection but commented its tough to get research money for that. Makes me think twice, although it isn't my primary concern that stops me from dumping the land line.
My cell is a blackberry for work purposes. Blackberries suck as cell phones. I hate the sound quality. It's fine if you are in car, but hand held I don't like it. Thus, I only use it as a cell when needed and wouldn't want to use it as a cell more.
I lived through a 5 day power outage. The cell phone repeaters were clogged, and two days in most people's cell phone's were dead. Land lines on the other hand received independant power over the line and never went down. If I didn't have a land line, I would have had no communications for half of the outage. (This knocks VOIP out of the running too since VOIP systems generally have a backup power time in minutes)
Dags90: I think it's rather silly to use landline telephones at this point for polling, and I don't think the sample can be considered entirely representative because of this. The kind of people who still have landlines are the ones who still have AOL accounts. Namely, old white people afraid of change. So I'm questionable of the use of 600 landlines.
I agree with you, there. Neither myself nor my family ever answer the phone for surveys, or when we do answer we refuse to participate. Though I do know of many old people who talk about how happy they are to oblige telemarketers and pollsters. And most young people I know who have their own place now don't even have a landline--they just use their cell phone.
While it wouldn't surprise me if the number were higher than what I'd expect (about 20%-30%), 600 land lines is simply not a broad spectrum of people or opinions.
keiskay: no people are still grasping to intelligent design (no the ID movement does not accept theistic evolution).
Gah, that facade of Creationism really annoys me. Hell, it's even gotten to the point where some people think the term is interchangeable with Theistic Evolution, leading to even worse confusions (with Theistic Evolution adherents saying they agree with ID and possibly vice versa). Well, in the long run the cdesign proponentsists will hopefully die out. Pandas indeed.
Dags90: I think it's rather silly to use landline telephones at this point for polling, and I don't think the sample can be considered entirely representative because of this. The kind of people who still have landlines are the ones who still have AOL accounts. Namely, old white people afraid of change. So I'm questionable of the use of 600 landlines.
Well, it may not be as bad as you think, but at the same time you're right. Using line telephones means many young people who only use mobile phones aren't included.
And that's apparently pretty big. My appartment houses the phone line connection in its crawlspace, and according to the mechanic's records, by the time someone complained about it and they asked me to let in a repair crew, more than six months had passed since the signal had been registered as dead by the telephone provider, suggesting that in a block of 16 with direct acces to that telephone, only 1 uses a line phone anymore.
This is sometimes called the "American Exception" to the secularization hypothesis.
The basic thing I would say is that religion in America has not stayed the same. Whereas you can see the majority of British Christians belong to established churches (Catholic and Anglican) these are the kind of churches which have actually lost out worldwide. Even in America the numbers of people attending these churches have fallen off (with the possible exception exception of the Catholic church amongst Latin-American communities).
The big difference is that in America the established churches have been successfully replaced by charismatic and evangelical churches, whereas in the UK for example these new churches are only just starting to make inroads. A significant part of the younger generations in Britain has now never been part of a church and is thus unlikely to ever go back no matter how attractive the new churches make themselves.
The US is much more vibrant, religiously speaking, than Europe and Canada. It has a long history of religious non-conformism and the integration of religion and culture, which means we see this trend of religion being constantly reinvented into new forms which appeal to new generations of people. Religious groups in other countries have generally been centred around established or mainline churches, which have become culturally stagnant over time.
It's possible we'll see a Christian revival in Europe, possibly originating in African charismatic churches. I wouldn't rule out a little Catholic revival if the Vatican gets out of its own arse and embraces reform, but it will never be as big as the revivals which go on every generation or so in the US, because Northern Europe at least has had several generations now without very much religion in their lives. I don't think Americans are uniquely dumb or uniquely crazy, but there are unique historical circumstances which have kept religion from ever becoming stagnant in America.
I don't think the number of people who believe in Biblical creationism is really something to be concerned with. What we need to be concerned with is the number of people who don't understand why creationism isn't science. That's the big issue.
If Bob the Plumber fervently believes that humanity was miraculously conjured out of nothing ~6000 years ago, well, it just doesn't matter. My plumber doesn't have a damn thing to do with my life apart from fixing my toilet. Likewise if some geriatric trout at the nursing home thinks fossils were invented by Satan to test our faith or if the kid who makes my fries at Arby's is convinced he has an odd number of ribs because God took one to make "Teh Laydeez". What these people believe does not matter. Getting worked up about it is not productive, because A) it wastes your energy on a fight you have no hope of winning, and B) it proves your objection is not based on the defense of science, but opposition to particular beliefs.
Personally, as long as the science being taught in schools is actual science and the students are learning why it's actual science as opposed to superstition, I say leave people who want to be superstitious to their superstitions.
Blablahb: Well, it may not be as bad as you think, but at the same time you're right. Using line telephones means many young people who only use mobile phones aren't included.
This is a split survey, but the split is wrong imo. It's split 600/400 landline/cellphone. Nearly 30% American households don't even have a landline anymore, and this number is skyrocketing.[1]
Katatori-kun: Personally, as long as the science being taught in schools is actual science and the students are learning why it's actual science as opposed to superstition, I say leave people who want to be superstitious to their superstitions.
I would agree but for the fact that these superstitious types tend to vote for politicians who would like to have superstition taught in schools. It does lower the quality of life when your country is run by leaders who regard science as a cute little theory, but nothing worth basing legislation around.
Katatori-kun: Personally, as long as the science being taught in schools is actual science and the students are learning why it's actual science as opposed to superstition, I say leave people who want to be superstitious to their superstitions.
I would agree but for the fact that these superstitious types tend to vote for politicians who would like to have superstition taught in schools. It does lower the quality of life when your country is run by leaders who regard science as a cute little theory, but nothing worth basing legislation around.
Thankfully the Supreme Court has put a stop to that, citing the first amendment. While the religious have tried to find ways around it (teaching "intelligent design" next to evolution, which often is shot down by local judges) but schools have to teach evolution is some respects or another in the basic science courses. There is no getting around that.
Not G. Ivingname: How often do you use your landlines? Do you even have a landline? I don't, I don't see a reason to when I have a cell phone. One less bill to be paid.
I have one, but not because I'm afraid of change.
My brother, an early adopted for cell phones who had one almost glued to his head, got brain cancer EXACTLY where the tip of the antena was for most of the history of cell phones. His brain surgeon thought it likely there is a connection but commented its tough to get research money for that. Makes me think twice, although it isn't my primary concern that stops me from dumping the land line.
My cell is a blackberry for work purposes. Blackberries suck as cell phones. I hate the sound quality. It's fine if you are in car, but hand held I don't like it. Thus, I only use it as a cell when needed and wouldn't want to use it as a cell more.
I lived through a 5 day power outage. The cell phone repeaters were clogged, and two days in most people's cell phone's were dead. Land lines on the other hand received independant power over the line and never went down. If I didn't have a land line, I would have had no communications for half of the outage. (This knocks VOIP out of the running too since VOIP systems generally have a backup power time in minutes)
Ok, fair enough.
Still, would you even pick up a number you don't know, or wouldn't hang up as soon as you learned it was a poll? You also must know a couple of people who has pushed their home phones to emergency use if they even have them.
Not G. Ivingname: How often do you use your landlines? Do you even have a landline? I don't, I don't see a reason to when I have a cell phone. One less bill to be paid.
I have one, but not because I'm afraid of change.
My brother, an early adopted for cell phones who had one almost glued to his head, got brain cancer EXACTLY where the tip of the antena was for most of the history of cell phones. His brain surgeon thought it likely there is a connection but commented its tough to get research money for that. Makes me think twice, although it isn't my primary concern that stops me from dumping the land line.
My cell is a blackberry for work purposes. Blackberries suck as cell phones. I hate the sound quality. It's fine if you are in car, but hand held I don't like it. Thus, I only use it as a cell when needed and wouldn't want to use it as a cell more.
I lived through a 5 day power outage. The cell phone repeaters were clogged, and two days in most people's cell phone's were dead. Land lines on the other hand received independant power over the line and never went down. If I didn't have a land line, I would have had no communications for half of the outage. (This knocks VOIP out of the running too since VOIP systems generally have a backup power time in minutes)
Ok, fair enough.
Still, would you even pick up a number you don't know, or wouldn't hang up as soon as you learned it was a poll? You also must know a couple of people who has pushed their home phones to emergency use if they even have them.
Oh I know lots of people that no longer have land lines (including seniors). I just think the earlier characterization of who held on to land lines was wrong.
I pick up numbers I don't know about half the time. I have a few idiot friends that are forever changing their cell numbers or who don't have their cell number display. When I hear from any polling service I politely tell them I don't have the time to do surveys and find them a general invasion of privacy since from my phone number they can fully identify me.
keiskay: no people are still grasping to intelligent design (no the ID movement does not accept theistic evolution).
Gah, that facade of Creationism really annoys me. Hell, it's even gotten to the point where some people think the term is interchangeable with Theistic Evolution, leading to even worse confusions (with Theistic Evolution adherents saying they agree with ID and possibly vice versa). Well, in the long run the cdesign proponentsists will hopefully die out. Pandas indeed.
well theistic evolution can be considered a form of intelligent design (if we take that term for its meaning and not the movement following it), so some people who are theistic evolutionist will say they believe in intelligent design (probably because they do not know of the term), that is until a hard core "informed" follower of the ID will inform them that they are wrong. so the confusion is going to happen.
DrVornoff: I would agree but for the fact that these superstitious types tend to vote for politicians who would like to have superstition taught in schools. It does lower the quality of life when your country is run by leaders who regard science as a cute little theory, but nothing worth basing legislation around.
Then the problem is not belief in the superstition, but an insufficiently liberal[1] education system that takes curriculum design away from educational experts and people with deep knowledge of the field being taught and sticks it in the hands of politicians who have no greater qualification for deciding educational curricula than that they are popular with voters who are by definition, mostly not a part of the educational system being decided.
[1] In the classic sense, meaning "with mechanisms to protect freedom"
Katatori-kun: Then the problem is not belief in the superstition, but an insufficiently liberal education system that takes curriculum design away from educational experts and people with deep knowledge of the field being taught and sticks it in the hands of politicians who have no greater qualification for deciding educational curricula than that they are popular with voters who are by definition, mostly not a part of the educational system being decided.
It's not just in education. John Huntsman during the primary lamented that the Republicans are becoming the "anti-science" party because they just don't stop catering to the evangelical vote. To make matter worse, they try to persuade the rest of their constituency to agree with the evangelicals that science is bullshit and the Bible has literally every answer to every question ever conceived.
As far as I'm concerned, people can believe whatever fairy tales they want. But when it comes time to pass legislation, that shit should be left at the door. Unfortunately, that's not the case in America. Rather than doing anything about the economy, Congress decided to vote to reaffirm the national motto as, "In God we trust." That's the sort of thing that just makes you want to grab these people by the throat and shake them like a martini that owes you money until they admit that the ability to sit in a really uncomfortable pew every Sunday is not a qualification for public office.
If the poll is truly indicative of the US (which let us be fair they can never be completely so), but let us for a moment suppose it is....
Then 46% of the US are blithering idiots who in all honesty have no say how the country is run as they have shown a complete lack of basic reasoning. There is no way to sugar coat it. If after being presented with all the evidence to the contrary you still think it's creationism that we all just popped into existence you are a fool.
I fail to see the problem, it's not like it's hurting anything that these people believe something different. I support evolution but if people want to believe in creationism then meh, not my problem.
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And a few other tidbits too.
Article
How they conduct the Survey
The final line under the 'Implication' section pretty much sums it up though:
"All in all, there is no evidence in this trend of a substantial movement toward a secular viewpoint on human origins."
I would contrast this to the recent news out of Britain:
Spoiler: Click to View
So...yeah. Opinions? And why d'you think they're different? And do the Canadians among us have any numbers on their country considering the relative proximity to the US?