Microsoft Word - September-PRRI-RNS-Topline-Questionnaire-and-Survey-Methodology-.docx September  22,  2011     2027  MASSACHUSETTS  AVE,  3RD  FLOOR,  WASHINGTON,  DC  20036    •  202-­‐238-­‐9424    •    WWW.PUBLICRELIGION.ORG       PRRI/RNS  September  2011  Survey   September  14  –  18,  2011   N  =  1,013     Q.1   Which  comes  closer  to  your  view?     57   Humans  and  other  living  things  have  evolved  over  time  [OR]   38   Humans  and  other  living  things  have  existed  in  their  present  form  since  creation   1   Other  (VOL.)   4   Don’t  know/Refused  (VOL.)   100   Total       IF  BELIEVE  IN  EVOLUTION  (Q1=1),  ASK  [N=545]:   Q.2a   And  do  you  think  that…       53   Humans  and  other  living  things  have  evolved  due  to  natural  processes  such  as   natural  selection  [OR]   38   A  supreme  being  guided  the  evolution  of  living  things  for  the  purpose  of   creating  humans  and  other  life  in  the  form  it  exists  today   3   Other  (VOL.)   6   Don’t  know/Refused  (VOL.)   100   Total     IF  DO  NOT  BELIEVE  IN  EVOLUTION  (Q1=2),  ASK  [N=403]:   Q.2b   And  do  you  think  that  humans  and  other  living  things  were  created  within  the   last  10,000  years,  or  do  you  not  believe  this?     50   Yes,  believe   39   No,  do  not  believe   12   Don’t  know/Refused  (VOL.)   100   Total                       Public  Religion  Research  Institute     2   2027  MASSACHUSETTS  AVE  NW,  3RD  FLOOR,  WASHINGTON,  DC  20036  •  202-­‐435-­‐0277  •  WWW.PUBLICRELIGION.ORG ASK  ALL:   Q.3   From  what  you’ve  heard  or  read,  do  scientists  generally  agree  that  humans   evolved  over  time,  are  scientists  divided,  or  do  scientists  generally  disagree  that   humans  evolved  over  time?     51   Agree  humans  evolved   26   Divided   15   Disagree  humans  evolved   9   Don’t  know/Refused  (VOL.)   100   Total     Q.4   From  what  you’ve  read  and  heard,  do  you  believe  there  is  solid  evidence  that  the   average  temperature  on  earth  has  been  getting  warmer  over  the  past  few   decades,  or  not?     69   Yes   26   No   2   Mixed/some  evidence  (VOL.)   3   Don’t  know/Refused  (VOL.)   100   Total     IF  “YES  or  MIXED”  (Q4=1,3)  ASK  [N=710]:   Q.5   Which  statement  comes  closest  to  your  view  about  the  causes  of  climate   change…[READ  AND  ROTATE]?     64   Climate  change  is  caused  mostly  by  human  activity  such  as  burning  fossil  fuels   32   Climate  change  is  caused  mostly  by  natural  patterns  in  the  earth’s  environment   4   Don’t  know/Refused  (VOL.)   100   Total     ASK  ALL:   Q.6   From  what  you’ve  heard  or  read,  do  scientists  generally  agree  that  the  earth  is   getting  warmer  because  of  human  activity,  are  scientists  divided,  or  do  scientists   generally  disagree  that  the  earth  is  getting  warmer  because  of  human  activity?     40   Agree  human  activity   37   Divided   15   Disagree  human  activity   8   Don’t  know/Refused  (VOL.)   100   Total   Public  Religion  Research  Institute     3   2027  MASSACHUSETTS  AVE  NW,  3RD  FLOOR,  WASHINGTON,  DC  20036  •  202-­‐435-­‐0277  •  WWW.PUBLICRELIGION.ORG Q.7   Now  I  am  going  to  read  you  some  pairs  of  statements.  As  I  read  each  pair,  tell  me   whether  the  FIRST  statement  or  the  SECOND  statement  comes  closer  to  your   own  views,  even  if  neither  is  exactly  right.  [READ;  ROTATE  OPTIONS]       a.     36   1  –  God  gave  human  beings  the  right  to  use  animals,  plants,  and  all  the   resources  of  the  planet  for  human  benefit   57   2  –  God  gave  human  beings  the  task  of  living  responsibly  with  the  animals,   plants,  and  the  resources  of  the  planet,  which  are  not  just  for  human  benefit     4   Both/Neither  (VOL.)   3   Don’t  know/Refused  (VOL.)   100   Total     b.     43   1  –  Given  our  current  economic  problems,  we  cannot  afford  to  deal  with   climate  change  right  now.   50   2  –  Dealing  with  climate  change  now  will  create  new  jobs  and  help  avoid  more   serious  economic  problems  in  the  future   4   Both/Neither  (VOL.)   4   Don’t  know/Refused  (VOL.)   100   Total     Q.8   Thinking  about  candidates  for  President,  please  tell  me  whether  their  views  on   the  following  issues  would  make  you  more  likely  to  vote  for  them,  less  likely  to   vote  for  them  or  whether  it  would  not  make  a  difference  to  your  vote.  First,  if  a   candidate  for  President  [INSERT;  RANDOMIZE].  Would  this  make  you  MORE   likely  to  vote  for  them,  LESS  likely  to  vote  for  them,  or  would  it  not  make  a   difference?  What  about  if  a  candidate  [INSERT  NEXT]?     a.  Does  not  believe  climate  change  is  caused  by  human  activity     9   More  likely   36   Less  likely   54   Would  not  make  a  difference   2   Don’t  know/Refused  (VOL.)   100   Total         Public  Religion  Research  Institute     4   2027  MASSACHUSETTS  AVE  NW,  3RD  FLOOR,  WASHINGTON,  DC  20036  •  202-­‐435-­‐0277  •  WWW.PUBLICRELIGION.ORG b.  Does  not  believe  in  evolution     13   More  likely   32   Less  likely   53   Would  not  make  a  difference   2   Don’t  know/Refused  (VOL.)   100   Total     Note:  Numbers  may  not  add  to  100%  due  to  rounding       Public  Religion  Research  Institute     5   2027  MASSACHUSETTS  AVE  NW,  3RD  FLOOR,  WASHINGTON,  DC  20036  •  202-­‐435-­‐0277  •  WWW.PUBLICRELIGION.ORG   Methodology     The  survey  was  designed  and  conducted  by  Public  Religion  Research  Institute.   Results  of  the  survey  were  based  on  bilingual  (Spanish  and  English)  RDD  telephone   interviews  conducted  between  September  14,  2011  and  September  18,  2011  by   professional  interviewers  under  the  direction  of  Social  Science  Research  Solutions   (SSRS).  Interviews  were  conducted  among  a  random  sample  of  1,013  adults  18  years  of   age  or  older  in  the  continental  United  States  (301  respondents  were  interviewed  on  a   cell  phone).     The  final  sample  was  weighted  to  five  different  parameters—age,  sex,  geographic   region,  education  and  telephone  usage1—to  ensure  reliable  and  accurate   representation  of  the  total  adult  population.       The  margin  of  error  for  the  survey  is  +/-­‐  3.0  percentage  points  at  the  95%  level  of   confidence.  In  addition  to  sampling  error,  surveys  may  also  be  subject  to  error  or  bias   due  to  question  wording,  context  and  order  effects.                                                                                                                     1  Telephone  usage  refers  to  whether  respondents  have  only  a  landline  telephone,  only  a  cell  phone  or   both  types  and  the  frequency  with  which  they  use  each  type.