Majority of Americans not 'confident' the Big Bang really happened

NASA/Getty Images

Majority of Americans not 'confident' the Big Bang really happened
(Image credit: NASA/Getty Images)

What if I told you the universe was created billions of years ago when a tiny ball of matter suddenly exploded, hurtling space junk (including our primordial forebears) out into existence? Chances are, you wouldn't believe me.

That's because 51 percent of Americans are "not too confident" or "not at all confident" that the Big Bang really happened, according to a new Associated Press poll. On the flip side, only 21 percent of adults are confident the Big Bang happened.

Meanwhile, more Americans are confident that evolution (31 percent) and global warming (33 percent) are real. And as an interesting aside, 4 percent of adults aren't so sure smoking causes cancer, while 15 percent think childhood vaccines are unsafe.

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.