“It’s Only a Theory”: Science, Religion and Attitudes Toward Evolution

The controversy over evolution is a long standing one in American politics. The issue is often depicted as a conflict between science and religion. In this paper the effects of confidence in science and confidence in religion on attitudes toward human evolution are estimated. Bivariate analysis shows that confidence in science is positively related to belief in human evolution, while confidence in religion has a negative relationship. However, these effects become very weak when controls for religious beliefs and affiliation are imposed. Religious variables, rather than attitudes toward science, seem to be the main sources of attitudes toward evolution. [Prepared for delivery at the annual meeting of the Western Political Science Association, San Francisco, April, 2010.] Also accessible at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1580946##