Sixteen percent of respondents to a recent poll agreed that books that discuss evolution should be banned from school libraries. According to a press release issued on April 12, 2011, by Harris Interactive, agreement was more prevalent among respondents over 65 (26%), with only a high school education or less (22%), and with a conservative political philosophy (25%).
The level of support for banning books that discuss evolution, however, was less than the level of support for banning the Torah or Talmud, the Koran, and books that include vampires, with references to drugs or alcohol, that include witchcraft or sorcery, with references to sex, with references to violence, and with explicit language. Only the Bible fared better, with only 11% of respondents agreeing that it should be banned from school libraries.
Harris Interactive explains that the poll "was conducted online within the United States between March 7 to 14, 2011 among 2,379 adults (aged 18 and over)," adding, "The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated."