Religion & public attitudes: Europe vs. USA

A few years ago a poll came out, Religious Views and Beliefs Vary Greatly by Country, According to the Latest Financial Times/Harris Poll. My title is a bit misleading insofar as the survey compared several European countries as well as the United States. Below the fold I’ve placed a few of the tables which I think might surprise, or not, depending on where you stand. One thing I will observe is that despite the substantive differences which lay at the heart of the rivalry between France and the United States, there are also similarities between these two “universal nations” that lead to some of the enmity since they both perceive each other to be brands competing in the same market.

“Thinking now about religion, would you say that you are a…?”

	Great Britain	France	Italy	Spain	Germany	United States
	%	%	%	%	%	%
Believer in any form of God or any type of supreme being	35	27	62	48	41	73
Agnostic (one who is sceptical about the existence of God but not an atheist)	35	32	20	30	25	14
Atheist (one who denies the existence of God)	17	32	7	11	20	4
Would prefer not to say	6	6	8	8	10	6
Not sure	7	4	3	3	4	3

“Do you feel that religion should be taught in state schools?”

	Great Britain	France	Italy	Spain	Germany	United States
	%	%	%	%	%	%
Yes	56	20	68	40	56	28
No	29	72	25	49	35	59
Not Sure	15	8	7	11	9	13

“Do you feel that children should be allowed to wear a religious sign or article of clothing at school which is representative of their beliefs (such as crucifixes, headscarves)?”

	Great Britain	France	Italy	Spain	Germany	United States
	%	%	%	%	%	%
Yes	48	10	61	44	40	77
No	36	83	29	43	51	14
Not Sure	15	7	10	13	10	8

“Do you feel that governments should legislate against religious blasphemy, such as depriving something of its sacred character (for example, burning a bible or the Koran)?”

	Great Britain	France	Italy	Spain	Germany	United States
	%	%	%	%	%	%
Yes	37	42	58	46	41	31
No	41	41	28	42	40	52
Not sure	22	17	15	12	19	17