Two-thirds of Americans want Creationism taught in schools.

Two-thirds of Americans, if a new survey is to be believed, agree with President Bush's call to teach Intelligent Design in schools alongside evolutionary theory. In fact, they go further, wanting full-blown Creationism taught in schools.

But while President Bush's recent comments on the subject related to his belief that Intelligent Design, the assertion that the cosmos was made by a 'supreme being' without identifying who that supreme being is, this new survey appears to reveal that up to two-thirds of Americans would be happy for full Creationism, which goes further and identifies the God of the universe as the God of the Judeo-Christian Bible and tradition, to be taught.

This latest survey of American attitudes to religion among the leading political parties is fascinating and even forced its way onto the pages of the liberal New York Times at the end of August, a paper which has been in the vanguard opposing presidential intervention on the subject.

Strikingly, however, what the survey reveals is that the intelligent design versus evolution education debate does not break down along purely Republican-Democrat lines as had been thought. In fact it appears to reveal that two-thirds of all Americans, left or right on the political spectrum, would be happy to see Creationism, not just Intelligent Design, added to the school curriculum in the USA.

The poll, conducted from 2,000 people in mid-July, 2005, by the Pew Forum on Religion in Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, and published on 31 August, 2005, found that 42 percent of respondents held strict creationist views. They agreed that "living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time." Forty-eight percent, however, claimed to believe that humans had evolved over time. But of that number, 18 percent said that evolution was "guided by a supreme being." In all, 64 percent said they were open to the idea of teaching Creationism in addition to evolution.

Interestingly, more of those who expressed a belief in creationism said they were "very certain" of their views (63 percent), compared with those who believe in evolution (32 percent). John C. Green, a senior fellow at the Pew Forum, expressed his surprise that teaching both evolution and Creationism was favoured not only by conservative Christians, but also by the majority of secular respondents, liberal democrats and those who accept the theory of natural selection. He described it as a reflection of "American pragmatism".

"It's like they're saying, 'Some people see it this way, some people see it that way, so just teach it all and let the kids figure it out.'"

President Bush, a practising Christian, opened the door to debate on August 2 when he commented to reporters that he believed both evolution and intelligent design should be taught in schools "so people can understand what the debate is about." Two-thirds of the Americans public, including Democrats as well as Republicans, if this poll is to be believed, appear to be convinced he is right.