A Pew Forum research package gives an overview of the debate, examines its social and legal dimensions and reviews the life and ideas of Charles Darwin.

ANALYSIS Updated February 3, 2014

Overview: The Conflict Between Religion and Evolution

Almost 150 years after Charles Darwin published his groundbreaking work On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, Americans are still fighting over evolution.

LEGAL REPORT Updated February 3, 2014

The Social and Legal Dimensions of the Evolution Debate in the U.S.

As with many social and political controversies in the United States, the battle over evolution has been largely fought in courtrooms.

ANALYSIS Updated February 3, 2014

Darwin and His Theory of Evolution

At first glance, Charles Darwin seems an unlikely revolutionary. Growing up a shy and unassuming member of a wealthy British family, he appeared, at least to his father, to be idle and directionless. But even as a child, Darwin expressed an interest in nature.

ANALYSIS Updated February 3, 2014

Religious Groups’ Views on Evolution

A breakdown of 13 major religious groups’ views on the issue.

ANALYSIS Updated February 3, 2014

Evolution: A Timeline

This timeline highlights key events in the debate surrounding evolution.

POLL February 4, 2009

Religious Differences on the Question of Evolution

The Pew Forum’s U.S. Religious Landscape Survey found that views on evolution differ widely across religious groups.

ANALYSIS Updated February 3, 2014

Fighting Over Darwin, State by State

In recent years, voters, educators and policymakers in a number of states have become involved in the debate over whether – or how – public school students should learn about evolution and the origins of life.