Texas State Board of Education Controversy: Newly Adopted Science Curriculum Standards – Part 5

Texas science curriculum standards: the Zogby Poll

The proponents of evolution were not entirely happy with the language in the newly adopted Texas science curriculum standards and were not at all happy with the results of a Zogby Poll released right before Darwin Day. See Part 4. See Part 2.

The poll showed that 78% of the respondents supported teaching the scientific evidence for and against the theory of evolution and that 80% agreed that students and teachers should have the academic freedom to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of evolution.

What must be most disconcerting to the evolutionists is that in the 18-24 age group, 100% supported teaching the science for and against evolution and over 95% agreed with the question concerning academic freedom.

This does not bode well for the proponents of evolution even though they claim that the poll was misleading because it played on the respondents’ sense of fairness (teaching both sides) and on their general support for academic freedom.

The poll does show, however, that a very large number of people still think that there is scientific evidence against evolution and that there are weaknesses in the theory. Otherwise, the poll wording would not have misled them.

That alone shows that the controversy surrounding evolution is alive and well and will not go away anytime soon.

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