Celebrity scientists’ influence
A research survey in the UK has found that celebrity scientists, like Sir David Attenborough, Brian Cox, and the late Stephen Hawking, can increase public acceptance of evolution.
However, this pro-evolution influence was mostly confined to the “non-religious” public. The “religious audience” was largely resistant.
Furthermore, when the public celebrity was known to have negative views of religion, those with strong religious beliefs were actually moved to become less accepting of evolution. This was especially so in the case of Richard Dawkins (seen here with Ariane Sherine at the 2008 launch of the atheists’ bus ad campaign).
The researchers accordingly wrote: “We suggest that engaging certain religious audiences with the science of evolutionary biology may be more effective when their religious identities are not threatened.” This appears to be a ‘nod’ to the tactic of using professing theistic evolutionists to promote evolution to Christian audiences.
- Ellwood, B., Celebrity scientists tend to sway the public toward greater acceptance of evolution, but not when religious identity is threatened, psypost.org, 7 Oct 2021.
- Unsworth, A. and Voas, D., The Dawkins effect? Celebrity scientists, (non)religious publics and changed attitudes to evolution, Public Understanding of Science, 25 Feb 2021.
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