The Utah state Board of Education is once again debating the role of human evolution in the curricula and instructional standards of Utah public schools. Commentator Ben Spackman recently weighed in with a Salt Lake Tribune editorial arguing that there is a strong tradition in both Mormon theology and authoritative statements from leaders that would embrace a more science-friendly perspective on the topic. But what do Mormons themselves think about evolution? Recent findings from the Next Mormons Survey can help shed additional light on this question.
The Next Mormons Survey asked two questions related to evolution and human origins; respondents were asked to express their level of belief in two separate statements. The first asks about Adam and Eve and human evolution:
“God created Adam and Eve sometime in the last 10,000 years and humans did not evolve from other life forms.”
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