Surveys and Public Attitudes – Science & Religion
Short answer: yes, a large, consistent body of public-opinion research (Pew, Gallup, Baylor, the World Values Survey and others) shows the picture is nuanced: many people say science and religion can be compatible (especially when asked about their own beliefs), but sizable minorities report tension, and the balance varies strongly by country, religious tradition, observance, education and even which scientific topic is in view. Below is a narrative summary of the main findings, with the key survey evidence cited.
Across decades, surveys paint a mixed but far-from-monolithic picture
When researchers ask broad, general questions about “science and religion,” many respondents, especially in the United States, say the two are often in conflict. At the same time, when people are asked about their own beliefs, a much larger share says there is no personal conflict. That contrast recurs in Pew Center reporting across waves: Americans commonly report seeing conflict in the abstract yet report much less conflict between science and their own faith.
Compatibility depends on the question asked (general vs. personal)
Two linked patterns explain why headlines can overstate a “war” narrative. First, people often distinguish “other people’s religion” from their own commitments: they can say “religion and science conflict” in the abstract while insisting their own faith fits comfortably with science. Second, survey responses depend on the exact wording (e.g., “mostly in conflict” vs. “sometimes conflict,” or questions specifically about evolution, vaccinations, or cosmology). Pew’s question formulations and follow-up items illustrate this sensitivity.
Religion, religiosity and denomination matter a lot
Across multiple national studies, the clearest predictor of whether a respondent sees compatibility is how religious they are and which religious tradition they come from. More observant religious people, and many within traditions that emphasize reconciliation with modern science, are more likely to report compatibility; the religiously unaffiliated are more likely to report conflict. Within the U.S. sample, Christians are divided by subgroup: mainline Protestants and many Catholics are more accepting of evolution or scientific accounts of the world than are some evangelical and Black Protestant subgroups.
Scientists and academics: less religious on average, but not uniformly hostile to religion
Surveys of scientists (for example, Pew’s 2009 AAAS survey and later academic work) show scientists are, on average, less likely than the general public to report traditional belief in God, yet a substantial fraction of scientists do report belief in a higher power or hold religious identities, and many scientists say science and religion are compatible in various ways. In short, the scientific community is more religiously heterogeneous than popular caricatures suggest.
Topic matters: evolution, origins, medicine and climate elicit different responses
Public acceptance and perceived compatibility vary sharply by scientific topic. Evolution and human origins are the flashpoints in many countries (and remain divided in the U.S., where Gallup and Pew show persistent pluralities for creationist, guided-evolution, and naturalistic evolution positions). By contrast, topics like medical technology or environmental science often attract broader public confidence in scientists even among religious respondents, though where those subjects touch moral or theological questions (e.g., stem cells, end-of-life), divisions reappear.
Cross-national variation is large, culture and development shape views
Global projects (World Values Survey, Pew’s international science modules, and comparative academic studies) show that whether people see science and religion as compatible depends greatly on country-level context: religious importance, economic development, education, and national narratives about modernity and religion all shape responses. In some regions (parts of Southeast Asia, much of the Muslim world, parts of Latin America and Africa) respondents often articulate ways to integrate religion and scientific knowledge; in parts of Europe and East Asia the relationship is framed differently. The bottom line: there is no single “global” public view.
Scholarly syntheses and replicating studies: the “conflict” story is over-simplified
Social-science literature that synthesizes survey data argues the media’s conflict narrative is over-generalized. Peer-reviewed work and recent replications highlight that religiosity and confidence in science are not simple opposites; many religious people report confidence in scientific institutions and accept scientific findings in everyday domains. That research recommends moving beyond a binary “conflict vs. harmony” frame to study specific beliefs, identities and social contexts.
Representative survey programs you can consult (and what they offer)
· Pew Research Center - multiple reports and cross-national modules on religion and science; useful for U.S. trend analyses and international modules (2014–2025 waves highlighted here).
· Gallup - long time-series on beliefs about creation/evolution and religious practice; helpful for tracking change in U.S. attitudes over decades.
· Baylor Religion Survey - in-depth waves (2005–2021) about American religious beliefs including modules touching science and the supernatural; data and codebooks are publicly available for analysis.
· Pew International Science Survey / World Values Survey (WVS) - cross-national instruments for comparing countries; WVS also contains items that probe when respondents say “religion is always right” in conflicts with science (useful for country comparisons).
· Academic literature - articles in journals of public understanding of science and sociology summarize and re-analyze survey evidence, showing nuance and cross-national patterns.
What the surveys collectively tell us (short synthesis)
1. Many people do see compatibility, especially when thinking about their own faith, so simple “science vs. religion” headlines miss important nuance.
2. Belief patterns vary sharply by religious observance, denomination, education, and country; the religiously unaffiliated are often most likely to report conflict, not necessarily religious people.
3. Scientists are less religious than the general public on average, but a substantial number still identify with religion or spirituality; the scientific community is not monolithically anti-religious.
4. Topic specificity matters: evolution is a hotspot, while many people accept scientific findings in medicine and technology even while holding strong religious commitments.
5. Comparative surveys show global diversity: in some regions religion and science are commonly framed as complementary; in others conflict narratives are more common.