The evolving attitudes of Gen X toward evolution
Middle school and high school students displayed a good deal of uncertainty about evolution, with a third having no attitude about evolution and 44% saying that the statement "human beings as we know them developed from earlier species of animals" was probably true or probably false, reflecting a degree of uncertainty about the issue.
During the 15 years after high school, 28% of these Generation X young adults concluded that evolution was definitely true, and 27% thought that evolution was definitely false, according to co-author Mark Ackerman, a professor at Michigan Engineering, the U-M School of Information and Michigan Medicine.
"These results demonstrate the impact of postsecondary education, initial career experiences, and the polarization of the political system in the United States," Ackerman said.
"The experience of college-level science courses, the completion of baccalaureate or more advanced degrees, and the development of civic scientific literacy were strong predictors of increased acceptance of evolution."
