By Associated Press A majority of Americans do not believe that the Big Bang created the universe 13.8 billion years ago, according to a new study, with Americans also expressing a large amount of skepticism in global warming, the age of the Earth and evolution. Rather than quizzing scientific knowledge, the survey asked people to rate their confidence in several statements about science and medicine. On some, there's broad acceptance. Just 4 percent doubt that smoking causes cancer, 6 percent question whether mental illness is a medical condition that affects the brain and 8 percent are skeptical there's a genetic code inside our cells. More — 15 percent — have doubts about the safety and efficacy of childhood vaccines.
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Confidence in evolution, climate change, the age of the Earth, and the Big Bang all decline sharply as faith in a supreme being rises
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'Most often, values and beliefs trump science' when they conflict, according to representative of scientific society
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