Many atheists have doubts about evolution Howard Kingsnorth/Getty

It sounds startling. Nearly 30 per cent of adults in the UK say evolution can’t explain the origin of humans. That rises to nearly 50 per cent for human consciousness. Does that mean we’re increasingly following a vocal minority in the US who deny the science on fringe religious grounds?

When we think about doubts over evolutionary science, we tend to think of the highly politicised views of young Earth creationists in the US. However, our new research suggests that rejection of, or uncertainty about, evolutionary science in the UK isn’t …