As the 100th anniversary of the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925 approaches, a recent study shows that the views of Americans in Generation X on evolution changed as they got older.
The research, conducted by Jon D. Miller, a retired research scientist at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, discovered that students in middle and high school often had uncertain opinions about evolution.The study found that many Americans still hold strong beliefs about evolution, even as they progress through high school, college, and the workforce. According to Miller, some may question the relevance of the evolution issue and see it as a harmless curiosity. Despite this, a significant minority of American adults reject the idea of human development from earlier animal species. The researchers believe that understanding basic biological concepts would have informed public and political debates on various issues in recent decades.A recent study, which was published in the journal Public Understanding of Science, utilized data from approximately 5,000 participants who were born between 1971 and 1974, making them part of Generation X. The study spanned 33 years, tracking these individuals from middle school to midlife.
One of the researchers, Miller, noted that most research on attitudes toward science typically relies on a single survey or a series of surveys with different participants. However, by using data from the Longitudinal Study of American Life spanning three decades, this study was able to examine how attitudes toward science develop and change in the same individuals during their formative years.
The study found that middle and high school students often expressed uncertainty about evolution, indicating a significant shift in attitudes toward science over time. This long-term analysis provides valuable insights into the evolution of attitudes toward science across different stages of life.html>”A recent study found that 28% of Generation X young adults believe that evolution is definitely true, while 27% believe it is definitely false,” said Mark Ackerman, a professor at Michigan Engineering, the U-M School of Information, and Michigan Medicine. The study also showed that one-third of participants had no opinion on evolution, and 44% were uncertain about the statement “human beings as we know them developed from earlier species of animals.” This suggests that there is a level of uncertainty surrounding the issue. During the 15 years after high school, these results highlight the impact of postsecondary education.”Ackerman stated that the Generation X LSAL participants showed an increase in acceptance of evolution as true and a decrease in seeing it as definitely false over the 15-year period. This reflected their stabilization in life, with many pursuing their chosen careers, starting families, and becoming more involved in their communities. These changes were attributed to their education, early career experiences, and the polarization of the political system in the United States. The study was conducted on LSAL respondents.The researchers looked into the factors influencing participants’ views on evolution at three different times during the study. Similar to a previous study by the same researchers, education-related factors were found to strongly predict acceptance of evolution, while fundamentalist religious beliefs were strong predictors of rejection of evolution.
Participation in college-level science courses, obtaining a bachelor’s degree or higher, and gaining scientific literacy were all found to strongly predict increased acceptance of evolution.
“Our examination of a distinct longitudinalThe unique dataset provided an opportunity to thoroughly examine the progression of beliefs regarding a scientific topic,” Miller explained. “Understanding the public’s views on evolution is especially important because it will continue to be an essential part of biological and scientific literacy in the 21st century.”
In addition to Miller and Ackerman from the University of Michigan, the authors of the study included Belén Laspra and Carmelo Polino from the University of Oviedo in Spain, Glenn Branch from the National Center for Science Education, and Robert Pennock from Michigan State University.
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- Jon D. Miller, Belén Laspra, Carmelo Polino, Glenn Branch, Robert T. Pennock, Mark S. Ackerman. The acceptance of evolution: A developmental view of Generation X in the United States. Public Understanding of Science, 2024; DOI: 10.1177/09636625241234815