Note, in particular, how many people in this survey knew nothing about ID before the survey. If you actually know what’s going on, you’re less likely to support ID.

With 60% of Republicans in NM supporting ID, it’s no surprise you don’t hear much talk lately about them being the party of “deep

thinkers” (as they called themselves just a few years ago). mjh

ABQjournal: Intelligent Design Has Support BY JOHN FLECK, Journal

Staff Writer
But poll suggests many don’t know much about issue
Copyright © 2005 Albuquerque Journal

The idea of teaching

“intelligent design” in New Mexico public school science classes has more support than opposition among the state’s registered voters,

according to a Journal poll.

But the support falls just short of a majority, and the poll also suggests that a lot of New

Mexicans don’t know much about the issue one way or another. …

53 percent said they had heard or read about intelligent design,

compared with 43 percent who said they had not. (The remainder didn’t know or wouldn’t say.) …

Intelligent

design opponent Marshall Berman, education director of the New Mexico Academy of Science, said he believes the willingness to allow

teaching of intelligent design alongside evolution was likely a result of “the American concept of fairness.” [mjh: what

a sweet and gracious thought.]

He said those people did not understand that intelligent design is not scientific and that, in

his view, belief in intelligent design tends to be equated with belief in a creator in contemporary society.

Pollster Brian

Sanderoff, whose Research and Polling Inc. conducted the survey, noted that support for teaching intelligent design in school was

lower among those who had already heard or read about the subject.

Among those who were already aware of the

issue, 48 percent opposed teaching it in school, compared with 46 percent in support.

Sanderoff also noted that the

more educated people were, the less likely they were to support teaching intelligent design in school. Among political parties, Democrats

were evenly split on the issue, with 44 percent supporting teaching intelligent design in school and 45 percent opposed.

Republicans strongly supported teaching intelligent design in schools, 60 percent to 32 percent.