Long-term surveys show that acceptance of evolution has steadily increased among Americans over time.
The study reviewed 35 years of national survey data collected between 1985 and 2020, demonstrating that Americans were roughly divided between accepting and rejecting evolution for much of the late 20th century (half accepting and half rejecting). However, over the years, acceptance increased and eventually became dominant at the end of the study.
According to researchers, the increase in acceptance is closely related to education and scientific literacy. Higher levels of education, especially among those with more exposure to science courses at the college level, corresponded with a greater acceptance of evolution. Religious fundamentalism remained the greatest predictor of rejection.
More recent survey data supports this increase in acceptance of evolution over time. A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center finds that about 82% of Americans now accept that humans evolved, some with the assistance of divine intervention. Only about 15% reject evolution altogether. Additionally, according to Gallup polls from 2024, the proportion of Americans that hold strictly creationist viewpoints has decreased to 37%, while the proportion of Americans that believe in evolution without divine intervention has increased to an all-time high rate of 24%.
These findings suggest that the majority of Americans now accept the theory of evolution regardless of how the theory is interpreted (e.g., where religious influences may come into play). Differences in opinion about how evolution works have emerged, whereas the majority of Americans now agree upon the occurrence of evolution.
References:
Miller et al. (2022)
Pew Research (2025)
Gallup (2024)
