In the past four decades, American views on the origins of human life have significantly shifted, according to a new Gallup poll.

The survey, conducted from May 1-23, shows that fewer Americans now believe that God created humans in their present form, and more are accepting the scientific theory that humans evolved from less advanced forms of life over millions of years without divine intervention.

The poll indicates that while one-third of Americans believe that God guided the process of evolution, a majority now accept the idea that humans have evolved. Yet, there remains a significant portion of the population that holds onto the belief that God played some role in human existence.

Despite these changes, Americans’ views on human origins remain complex and varied. The largest segment, although diminished from the early 2000s, consists of 37 percent of Americans who are firm creationists, asserting that God created humans in their current form within the last 10,000 years, the poll found. This percentage is the lowest in the four-decade trend, down by one percentage point from previous measurements.

Meanwhile, 24 percent of American adults now accept the scientific theory of evolution, believing that humans evolved solely through natural processes without any involvement from God. This figure represents the highest recorded percentage, up by two points from the last measurement in 2019.

In addition, 34 percent of Americans adopt a middle-ground perspective, stating that humans evolved with guidance from God. This view has not seen significant changes since the last measurement.

Gallup has been tracking Americans’ beliefs about human origins since 1982. Belief in creationism and God-guided evolution peaked in 1999 at 47 percent and 40 percent, respectively, but has since declined. Conversely, support for evolution without divine intervention has nearly tripled since that time.