A study published in Science found that public acceptance of evolution was highest in Iceland, Denmark and Sweden (over 80% of the population). But astonishingly, this study also found that acceptance of evolution is lower in the United States than in Japan or in any of the 32 European countries included in the study except Turkey (25%). Even though this study was published in 2006 (doi:10.1126/science.1126746), subsequent surveys and polls indicate that little has changed since then.
Americans' peculiarly stubborn refusal to recognise the validity of evolution almost seems de rigueur these days. But after watching the 2011 Miss USA contestants' pathetic and (mostly) poorly-(in)formed comments about evolution, something clicked into place amongst a few of my science blog colleagues. After the giggles and guffaws died down on twitter and other social media, they decided to create a video about evolution for the general public.
The goals of this video project were to provide a platform for scientists to explain, in their own words, the importance of evolution to science, medicine and society -- and to address the importance of teaching evolution in schools. Prominent female scientists and science communicators were specifically invited to participate because the video was a response, in part, to the Miss USA fiasco.
LINK: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/dec/01/1
