The results are in and it looks like the answer to the origin of humanity is — drumroll, please: creationism.
That’s how most Americans answered a recent poll, at least, the results of which were published this week by Gallup Politics. A sample of over 1,000 adults from coast-to-coast were quizzed on their thoughts regarding human origin, and 46 percent responded that they believe God created human beings pretty much in their present form during a single instance that occurred during the last 10,000 years.Regardless of if you agree or disagree with the findings, the results of the poll reveal that, even slightly, Americans have grown more religious during the last 30 years. Since Gallup first asking Americans for their input on the origins of humanity in 1982, the proportion of those who believe in creationism has actually grown. The latest findings show a slight increase in faith-based explanation when compared with the results that researchers came upon back in 1982 when the question was first asked; at the time, 44 percent of Americans polled said that believed that Gods created humans in their present form, showing a 2 percentage point change in 30 years’ time.The latest study also reveals that the proportion of Americans who believe that humans evolved but with guiding from a God has dropped six points since 1982, going from 38 percent to 32 percent in only 30 years. According to a Gallup poll conducted in 1999, a little over one third of Americans (35 percent) surveyed in a separate study said they believed that life existed on Mars. In that study, 41 percent—more that favored creationism in 1982 but less than those that do today—also said they thought there could be "people somewhat like ourselves living on other planets in the universe"Americans quizzed in Gallup’s latest poll were asked to consider three statements and decide on which one comes closest with their views on the origin and development of human beings. In the 2012 study, 32 percent say they believe that humans have developed over millions of years with no aid from an immortal being and 15 percent favored a scenario where humans evolved, but with the assistance of God. Thirty years ago, the proportion of Americans that agreed with those theories were 38 percent and 9 percent, respectively. Elsewhere in the report, pollsters asked participants for information about their political believes and regular church habits. Researchers concluded that two-thirds of the Americans that insist on creationism attend church each week, whereas only 3 percent of those polled both go to church weekly while also believing that humans are the product of evolution. According to their research, Americans aligned with the Republican Party are more likely to believe in creationism than members of other groups, but the majority of Democrats and Independents also insisted on an explanation based on creationism.