eprintid: 1575403
rev_number: 32
eprint_status: archive
userid: 608
dir: disk0/01/57/54/03
datestamp: 2017-09-26 13:28:55
lastmod: 2021-09-22 22:25:33
status_changed: 2017-09-26 13:54:51
type: article
metadata_visibility: show
creators_name: Unsworth, A
creators_name: Voas, D
title: Attitudes to evolution among Christians, Muslims and the Non-Religious in Britain: Differential effects of religious and educational factors
ispublished: pub
divisions: UCL
divisions: B16
divisions: B14
divisions: J81
divisions: B04
divisions: C06
divisions: F58
keywords: Christian, creationism, evolution, media and science, Muslim, Non-Religion, public understanding of science, science and religion, science education, science in schools
note: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
abstract: According to poll results and media reports, Britain has a significant and growing number of creationists. However, little scholarly research has been carried out to explore this phenomenon. We present results from a national survey of 6020 individuals to give a comprehensive picture of contemporary public attitudes to evolution in Britain. Furthermore, we explore the effects of religion and education on attitudes to evolution. Unique to this study, we analyse the effects of attending a religiously affiliated school (‘faith school’) on acceptance of evolutionary theory. We examine these effects in the general population, and additionally, across different Christian, Muslim and Non-Religious subpopulations. Results give strong evidence that the number of creationists has been overstated previously. We find the effect of education is complex and varies between different religious groups, but that faith school attendance is associated with more acceptance of evolution for people belonging to groups that tend to reject it.
date: 2018-01-01
date_type: published
publisher: SAGE Publications
official_url: https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662517735430
oa_status: green
full_text_type: other
language: eng
primo: open
primo_central: open_green
verified: verified_manual
elements_id: 1424027
doi: 10.1177/0963662517735430
lyricists_name: Unsworth, Amy
lyricists_name: Voas, David
lyricists_id: AEROB53
lyricists_id: DVOAS54
actors_name: Voas, David
actors_id: DVOAS54
actors_role: owner
full_text_status: public
publication: Public Understanding of Science
volume: 27
number: 1
pagerange: 76-93
issn: 0963-6625
citation:        Unsworth, A;    Voas, D;      (2018)    Attitudes to evolution among Christians, Muslims and the Non-Religious in Britain: Differential effects of religious and educational factors.                   Public Understanding of Science , 27  (1)   pp. 76-93.    10.1177/0963662517735430 <https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662517735430>.       Green open access   
 
document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1575403/1/Unsworth_Voas%20PUS%20ms.pdf