Here’s a depressing fact: a new Gallup poll released on the eve of Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday showed only 39% of the population believes in evolution. What is so frustrating is roughly 36% of the respondent cited they had no opinion.

Not having an opinion about evolution is the equivalent of not really caring if the Earth revolves around the sun. I’m sure it doesn’t affect your daily life, but this is just ridiculous! It just goes to show that the problem is too many people are on the fence. If we could convince all of these sad fence sitters to start actually having some educated ideas about evolution, the numbers would start being a bit more encouraging.

For those of you wondering why the evolution debate in the US is so fierce, you only need to look at the poll numbers to discover why. The future of science in America hinges on the battle for the hearts and minds of the public, and so far, creationists have been able to make people question the validity of the theory enough to not have an opinion about it. It’s sad, frustrating, and rather depressing.