SI New Nov Dec pages_SI new design masters 9/29/10 12:16 PM Page 5 [ NEWS AND COMMENT Three-Country Evolution Poll: Stark Contrast in U.S. vs. Canadian and British Beliefs Kendrick Frazier We already know that compared with Origin of Humans most developed countries of the world, Which of these statements comes closest to your own point of view acceptance of evolution in the United regarding the origin and development of human beings on Earth? States is dismal. Jon Miller and col- leagues reported in 2006 that polls in thirty-four countries showed that only Canada United States Great Britain one—Turkey—had a lower rate of ac- Human beings evolved from less 6 1% 3 5 % 6 8 % ceptance of evolution. The United advanced life forms over millions States was, as he put it, “out on a limb of years. by ourselves” (SI, May/June 2006). God created human beings in their 2 4 % 4 7 % 16 % A new three-country poll not only present form within the past re veals data on how far behind the 10,000 years. United States is on this point—com- I’m not sure. 15 % 18 % 15 % pared to its two closest nations in the English-speaking world, Canada and Britain—but also gives fascinating re- gional details. Polls of representative samples of In Britain, two-thirds of respondents Amer icans, Canadians, and Britons (68 percent) side with evolution, while were carried out by Angus Reid Public fewer than one-in-five people (16 per- Opinion in the first nine days of July c ent) c hoo se creationism. At least 2010 and announced on July 15. The Am eri ca ns rema i n se ve n-in-ten respondents in the South contrast among nations is starkly of England (70 percent) and Scotland worded in the title of the company’s firmly on the wrong ( 7 5 p e r c ent) believe that human beings own an nouncement of the results: evolved from less advance d life forms “Amer icans are Creationists: Britons sid e of the science over m illions of years. At 58 percen t, and Canadians Side with Evolution.” London holds the smallest proportion Americans remain firmly on the when it comes to of evolutionists. wrong side of the science when it comes In Canada, three-in-f ive respon- to evolution, which is perhaps the key e vol utio n, which is dents (61 percent) select evolution from fundamental unifying principle of biol- the options provided, while one-in- ogy. Evolution has strong multiple lines per haps the key fun- four p eople (24 percent) choose cr e - of supporting evidence and has long ationism. Quebec (66 percent), along been accepted by life scientists, who damental unifying with British Columbia and the Atlantic value its explanatory power. principle of biology. provinces (64 percent), hold the highest The online survey asked respondents proportion of respondents who believe whether their own point of view is closest human beings evolved. At the other end to the notion that human beings evolved of the spectrum, 39 percent of the resi- from less advanc ed life forms over mil- de nt s of M anitoba and Saskatch ewan lions of years or the idea that God created think God created human beings in human beings in their present form their present form. within the past 10,000 years. Skeptical Inquirer | November/ December 2 010 5 SI New Nov Dec pages_SI new design masters 9/24/10 2:27 PM Page 6 In the United States, almost half of GREA T B RITAIN re spondents (47 percent) believe that Which o f these statements comes closes t to you r own poin t o f view regarding God created human beings in their the origin an d deve lopm ent of human b e ings o n Earth ? present form within the past 10,000 years, while one-third (35 percent) think human beings evolved from less GREAT BRITAIN ad vanced life forms over millions of years. Half of midwesterners (49 per- cent) and southerners (51 percent) agree with creationism, while those in the Northeast are more likely to side with evolution (43 percent). In the United States, more males than females accept that human beings evolved UNITED STATES Which of these statements comes closest to your own point of view from less advanced regarding the origin and development of human beings on Earth? life forms. REGION UNITED STATES Northeast Midwest Sou th West Gender and age breakdowns showed Human beings evolved from 3 5 % 4 3 % 3 7 % 2 7 % 3 8 % less advanced life forms over some interesting differences as well. In millions of years. the United States, more males than fe- God created human beings in 4 7 % 3 8 % 4 9 % 5 1 % 4 5 % males accept that human beings evolved their present form within the from less advanced life forms (43 per- past 1 0 ,0 0 0 years. cent vs. 28 percent). Americans aged I’m not sure. 1 8 % 1 9 % 1 3 % 2 1 % 1 6 % eighteen to thirty-four were evenly di- vided between evolution and creation (41 percent vs. 41 percent), while those age fifty-five and over were less accept- ing (32 percent saying humans evolved vs. 51 percent saying God created hu- CANADA mans in their pres ent form). Those in Which of these statements comes closest to your own point of view the intermediate age group (35–54) regarding the origin and development of human beings on Earth? showed beliefs not much different from their older counterparts (33 percent evolution, 49 percent creation). CANADA In Britain, 72 percent of males vs. 65 percent of females accept evolution; the age distribution is fairly even. In Can - ada, 69 percent of males and 54 percent of females accept evolution, and younger people are more accepting. The accompanying tables display some of the comparisons. The full poll is available online at www.visioncritical.com/2010/07/amer- icans-are-creationists-britons- and- n canadians-side-with-evolution/. 6 Volume 34 Issue 6 | Skeptical Inquirer SI New Nov Dec pages_SI new design masters 9/24/10 2:27 PM Page 7 [ NEWS AND COMMENT The Amaz!ng Meeting of 2010 Karen Stollznow “What’s a TAM?” we’re asked by the un initiated. We reply, incredulously, “You haven’t heard of TAM?” Those who self-identify as skeptics know that TAM is the acronym for The Amaz!ng Meeting, which is hosted by y h James “The Amazing” Randi and his p a r g organization, the James Randi Educa - o t o h P tional Foundation ( JREF). s s e The world’s largest conference on r P . F critical thinking, TAM is like a Tech - e c u r nology, Entertainment, Design (TED) B : o t conference, a G8 summit, or a World o h P Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meet - D.J. Grothe interviews biologist Richard Dawkins at TAM8. ing for skeptics. Now in its eighth year, TAM has Tavris. TAM8 also concentrated on the come a long way from its humble origin history and roots of skepticism. This of merely 150 skeptics assembled in year’s meeting paid homage to seminal Fort Lauderdale, Florida, back in 2003. skeptics Paul Kurtz, Ray Hyman, Ken My first meeting, TAM3, attracted TAM is like a Frazier, and James Randi and paid last some 500 guests—this is where I met Tech nology, respects to Martin Gardner, arguably conference birth-giver Girl 6, as she the founder of the modern skeptical knitted quietly in the front row of the Entertainment, Design movement. conference hall. TAM has grown expo- Some skeptics deny there is a “skep- nentially to welcome some 1,300 atten- (TED) conference, tical movement”—due to the phrase’s dees in the United States, with ad ditional a G8 summit, religious and bureaucratic connota- events including meetings in England tions—and prefer “critical thinkers” or and Australia and cruises. or a World Economic “com munity.” During an interview with Held at the South Point Hotel in Forum (WEF) Annual comedy writer David Javerbaum, Javer - Las Vegas, July 8–11, 2010, the central baum argued against the idea that there themes of TAM8 were unification, ed- Meet ing for skeptics. is a “movement,” remarking that “trying ucation, and outreach. to organize skeptics is like herding cats.” Come Together Skeptics certainly aren’t cats or sheep to be herded, but there were 1,300 of us With D.J. Grothe at the helm as presi- there... dent, the JREF has focused on the uni- tions were represented by skeptics who Preaching to the Unconverted fication of the skeptical movement. appeared on various panels and work- (and the Converted) Local organizations and grassroots shops, including CSI’s Barry Karr, Ken groups are always encouraged; there is Frazier, and Joe Nickell and Skeptic Years ago, TAM moved from a winter strength in numbers, though, and we’re magazine’s Michael Shermer, Pat Linse, date to a summer schedule to enable all unified by our ideology and common and Daniel Loxton. educators to attend during their school goals. At Grothe’s insistence, TAM8 The meeting featured its usual holidays. Randi’s organization is busy was a coming together of the world’s “celebrity skeptics,” including Myth - keeping the “education” in “JREF.” major skeptical organizations, and the busters’s Adam Savage (see my Point of In their commitment to pedagogy, event was co-sponsored by the Com- Inquiry interview, excerpted in this the JREF secured Michael Blanford as mittee for Skep tical Inquiry (CSI) and issue), mentalist Banachek, and notable director of education and established a the Skeptics Soci ety.