Nearly a third of Americans do not believe in human evolution and instead imagine that humans and other living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time.
In results that echo those of a similar poll in 2009, a survey by Pew Research found that nearly two-thirds of Americans believe in evolution but three out of ten do not. About a quarter of adults believe in evolution but think it was guided by "a supreme being".
Among college graduates, belief in evolution is higher, at 75 per cent. Beliefs about evolution also differed according to religion and politics, and Pew Research is to publish more details on that soon.
The poll found that citizens and scientists often see science-related topics differently.
The biggest gap was about the safety of eating genetically modified foods. Nearly nine in ten scientists said it was generally safe to eat GM foods compared with fewer than four in ten non-scientists.
Likewise, most scientists supported the use of animals in research compared to about half of non-scientists.
