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Table 3 Correlation between acceptance and understanding of evolution

From: Accepting and understanding evolution in Italy: a case study from a selected public attending a Darwin Day celebration

(a)

WHO understand natural selection

(b)

WHO accept evolution

Understanding level 0

Evolution acceptance

Acceptance level 0

Understanding natural selection

0

1

2

 

0

1

2

 

No telistic view

0

1

6

11

18

No telistic view

0

1

0

0

1

1

0

1

3

4

1

0

0

0

0

2

0

6

4

10

2

0

1

0

1

 

1

13

18

32

 

1

1

0

2

Understanding level 1

Evolution acceptance

Acceptance level 1

Understanding natural selection

0

1

2

 

0

1

2

 

No telistic view

0

0

3

1

4

No telistic view

0

6

3

2

11

1

0

1

12

13

1

1

1

0

2

2

1

9

25

35

2

6

9

2

17

 

1

13

38

52

 

13

13

4

30

Understanding level 2

Evolution acceptance

Acceptance level 2

Understanding natural selection

0

1

2

 

0

1

2

 

No telistic view

0

0

2

1

3

No telistic view

0

11

1

1

13

1

0

0

8

8

1

3

12

8

23

2

0

2

27

29

2

4

25

27

56

 

0

4

36

40

 

18

38

36

92

  1. Pairwise correlation matrix between variables (evolution acceptance, understanding natural selection, and rejection of the telistic view), aimed at revealing different answering patterns across the Dday sample (N = 124). Table 3a shows three matrices derived from the correlation between ‘evolution acceptance’ and ‘rejection of the telistic view’, tested for the actual ‘understanding of natural selection’. Table 3b accounts for the pairwise correlation between ‘understanding of natural selection’ and ‘rejection of the telistic view’, tested according to the level of ‘evolution acceptance’. The two sets of tables highlight that whether a better comprehension of evolution implies evolution acceptance, the opposite is not true - with people accepting evolution not necessarily understanding its mechanisms.
  2. Read codes in bold: 0 = both assertions mistaken; 1 = one of the two assertions is correct; 2 = both assertions are correct.