Table 2 Reported support of key positions advanced by the National Academy of Sciences and other organizations (column percentages)
From: Teaching evolution in U.S. public schools: a continuing challenge
2007 (N = 926) | 2019 (N = 752) | |
|---|---|---|
It is possible to offer an excellent general biology course for high school students that includes no mention of Darwin or evolutionary theory (%) | ||
Strongly agree | 5 | 4 |
Agree | 7 | 7 |
Disagree | 25 | 24 |
Strongly disagree | 58 | 58 |
Not applicable/no answer | 5 | 8 |
100 | 100 | |
Evolution serves as the unifying theme for the content of the course (%) | ||
Strongly agree | 26 | 31 |
Agree | 36 | 37 |
Disagree | 25 | 19 |
Strongly disagree | 9 | 3 |
Not applicable/no answer | 6 | 10 |
100 | 100 | |
When I teach evolution (including answering student questions) I emphasize the broad consensus that evolution is a fact, even as scientists disagree about the specific mechanisms through which evolution occurred (%) | ||
Strongly agree | 30 | 47 |
Agree | 44 | 32 |
Disagree | 16 | 10 |
Strongly disagree | 6 | 3 |
Not applicable/no answer | 5 | 7 |
100 | 100 | |