Poll finds evangelicals stand apart on evolution, climate change

WASHINGTON (RNS) White evangelicals and Tea Party members are less likely to believe in evolution and climate change than most Americans, a finding that could pose a particular problem for Republican presidential hopefuls.

A new poll released Thursday (Sept. 22) also showed that a majority of Americans (57 percent) believes in evolution, and an even larger majority (69 percent) believes in climate change—though many still disagree that the phenomenon is based on human activity.

But most Americans do not insist that their presidential candidates share their views on these issues, nor do they believe scientists have come to a consensus on them, according to the poll conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute in partnership with Religion News Service.

Even though these issues aren’t deal-breakers for most voters, they are “symbolically important for two groups that play an outsize role in Republican primary politics: white evangelical Protestants and members of the Tea Party,” said Robert P. Jones, CEO of PRRI.

“Because evangelicals and Tea Party members hold views that are significantly different than the general population, the challenge for Republican candidates is to talk about these issues now in a way that will not hurt them later in the general election,” Jones said.

On evolution, a third (32 percent) of white evangelicals affirm a belief in evolution, compared to two-thirds of white mainline Protestants, six in 10 Catholics and three-quarters of the unaffiliated.

On climate change, though strong majorities in every religious group say they believe the earth is getting warmer, white evangelicals (31 percent) are significantly less likely to believe the change is caused by human activity. That compares to 43 percent of white mainline Protestants, 50 percent of Catholics and 52 percent of the unaffiliated.

The poll reveals an unusual political schism on climate change. Typically, Republicans come down on one side of a question, Democrats on the other, and independents in the middle, said Dan Cox, PRRI’s research director.

On climate change, Republicans (49 percent) cluster with Tea Party members (41 percent) on whether there is solid evidence that the earth is warming. That compares to 81 percent of Democrats and seven in 10 independents.

“There is no reason for climate change to be a partisan issue,” said Cox. “But the political leadership on the issue has led to a polarization of opinion, with Democrats and independents on one side and Republicans on the other.”

Many Americans say they do not care much about a candidate’s stance on either evolution or climate change: more than half (53 percent) say a belief or disbelief in evolution wouldn’t affect their vote, and about as many say the same about a candidate who doesn’t believe climate change is caused by human activity.

Only four in 10 evangelicals say a candidate’s views on evolution would make no difference in their vote, and those who say they cared about a candidate’s position say they would be less likely to vote for someone who believes in evolution. By contrast, Americans overall who cared about evolution say they’d be more likely to vote for a politician who believes in it.

Tea Party members (33 percent), more than any other group, are more likely to support a candidate who does not believe in climate change. That compares to 16 percent of Republicans and 5 percent of Democrats.

Americans also doubt a strong consensus exists among scientists on climate change, a phenomenon that has frustrated the vast majority of climatologists who consider it a problem caused by human activity. Only four in 10 Americans believe a consensus exists.

A slight majority (51 percent) says a consensus of scientists believes in evolution, though evolution is overwhelmingly endorsed throughout the scientific community.

—On stewardship of the earth, 57 percent say God wants humans to live responsibly with animals and plants. A sizable minority (36 percent), however, prefers the idea that “God gave human beings the right to use animals, plants and all the resources of the planet for human benefit.”

—Black Protestants are evenly divided on evolution, with 47 percent affirming it and 46 percent affirming creationism.

—Though most Americans believe in evolution, they disagree on its driving force. Of those who believe in evolution, 30 percent say it’s driven by natural selection or another natural process, compared to 22 percent who say a divine being guides it.

The PRRI/RNS Religion News Survey was based on telephone interviews with 1,013 adults between Sept. 14 and 18. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The real issue is that “Climate Change” is the underlying justification for implementing a global agenda for sustainable development. This agenda is affecting every sector of our lives through regulation and policy being implemented Administratively - mostly through Democrat regimes. http://users.sisqtel.net/armstrng/agenda21.htm (start exploring about half way down the page)

Conventions/treaties being signed by Presidents and implemented by federal and state agencies through their participation in international committees have supplanted the laws passed by Congress. The whole approach is also now creating regional public/private “governance” structures to by-pass local elected government. This is happening right now on the Klamath River with the Klamath Basin Restoration Act - a partnership of tribes, NGOs and the federal and state agencies. It is happening on the state level with integrated regional resource management and Smart Growth.

For instance, the US Forest Service is implementing the Statement of Forest Principles from Agenda 21, refined by the Montreal Process and the Santiago Declarations and the Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests (refined by the Sapporo Japan Techincal Advisory Committee.) These are being implemented Administratively and through the Roundtable on Sustainable Forests http://www.sustainableforests.net/ None of these were ever authorized or ratified by Congress, but if you ask a Congressman where the directive for sustainable “ecosystem management” of our National Forests originated, they haven’t a clue.

Forget the Organic Act, the Muliple Use and Sustained Yield Act and the National Forest Management Act actually passed by Congress, we are being globally ruled. We just live under the illusion that we still have sovereignty as a nation, organic power the the people and have a Constitutionally limited government were laws are made by elected representatives.

THAT is why the tea party doesn’t “buy into” the Global Warming scare.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.