Darwin Day in Belfast 12 February 2005

Video Opinion Poll

The Belfast Humanist Group would like to thank all those members of the public who agreed to record their opinions on evolution in a video poll at Castlecourt on Saturday 12 February.

The poll was conducted as part of the celebrations of Darwin Day and it shows considerable support for Darwin's ideas here in Belfast.  More than half of the people interviewed said that they believed that evolution had occurred and that the species which inhabit this planet have changed down the millennia.

Results: Reject evolution + uphold religion : 35%

Combine evolution + religion : 15%

Uphold evolution + reject religion : 50%

The outcome of the poll is remarkable, given the high level of religious affiliation here.  Admittedly the sample was small and totally random, but it does indicate a wide variety of opinion current in society, ranging from abrupt rejection to enthusiastic support for the evolutionary account of human origins.  It was also clear that the supporters of Darwin could give reasons and evidence for their views, referring to fossil remains, similarities between species and relics in the body.

Participants in the poll and anyone else who is interested in seeing the opinions expressed can obtain a dvd of all the interviews by contacting the Belfast Humanist Group at 90867239.  There will be a charge for the dvd, postage and packing. Responses to the poll are welcome and can be sent to the Group by e-mail.

To view the interviews, please click here. (This file is 5.2 MB and may take some time to load. Windows XP and Windows Media Player are recommended.)