Why, then, are younger people more likely to be uncertain or ambivalent? Perhaps they are more likely to offer frivolous or ironic responses, as Earther’s Brian Kahn suggests; perhaps they have not learned science as well as their elders did; perhaps they are more religious, as YouGov’s claim that more than half of flat-earthers considered themselves very religious hints; perhaps they are moving in social circles that encourage mistrust of authority.
Existing data helps: the fact that younger people are more likely to accept the scientifically established views on the history of life and the cause of global warming suggests that they have learned science at least as well as their elders did, and the fact that younger people are less likely to be as religious as their elders suggests that their lower levels of round-earthery are not driven only by a higher degree of religiosity.
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