Campus News

Georgians favor teaching evolution but only if combined with other theories

Georgians generally are opposed to teaching evolution as the sole explanation for the origins of the human species, according to the results of the latest Peach State Poll.

Less than one in five Georgians (17 percent) believes that public schools should teach evolution to the exclusion of other theories not broadly adopted by the scientific community. A slim majority (54 percent) feels that religious theories should be included in the classroom, and almost one in four (23 percent) believes that the schools should not teach evolution at all.

On the subject of another issue, 72 percent of Georgians oppose granting driver’s licenses to undocumented aliens after hearing arguments both for and against such a policy.

Other Peach State Poll results:

  • Twenty-seven percent of respondents cite education as the most important problem facing the state, followed by the economy and jobs (16 percent).
  • Although 41 percent of the public expresses a high level of confidence in their local public schools, the public has far less confidence in the public school system in the state as a whole (24 percent).

The Peach State Poll is a quarterly survey of public opinion conducted by UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government.