Poll: 9 of 10 Americans Believe in God; Nearly Half Rejects Evolution
The latest Newsweek poll found 91 percent of American adults say they believe in God and nearly half rejects the scientific theory of evolution.
Despite concerns over rising secularism in the country, Christians still far outnumber any other faith group. According to the poll, released on Friday, 82 percent of American adults identify themselves as Christian. Religious non-Christians make up only 5 percent of the public.
Poll results come months after Time magazine reported 66 percent of American have no doubts God exists while 11 percent believe in God but has some doubts. The Time report also revealed more than 85 percent of Americans follow a Christian faith.
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According to Newsweek, only six percent say they do not believe in a God at all; 10 percent identify themselves as having "no religion;" and three percent say they are atheist.
The poll further found that 47 percent of respondents felt the country is more accepting of atheists today than before and 49 percent said they personally know an atheist.
Younger people were found to be more open. Sixty-one percent of respondents under 30 years old say society is more accepting of atheists while 40 percent of Americans 50 and older agree. And 62 percent of the younger age group report knowing an atheist compared to 43 percent of the older group.
Leading up to the 2008 presidential election, the poll also revealed 62 percent of registered voters say they would not vote for a candidate who is an atheist. At the same time, 68 percent of respondents said they believed someone could be moral and an atheist; 26 percent said it was not possible.
Moreover, 36 percent of Americans think the influence of organized religion on American politics has increased in recent years. Thirty-two percent say religion has too much influence on American politics and 31 percent say it has too little.
On the hotly debated issue of evolution, 73 percent of Evangelical Protestants say they believe that God created humans in their present form within the last 10,000 years. In contrast, 39 percent of non-Evangelical Protestants and 41 percent of Catholics agreed.
The Newsweek Poll was conducted March 28-29 on 1,004 adults aged 18 and older.
