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Religion poll: US, Mexico most fervent, France least
Washington, DC, Jun. 08 (LifesiteNews.com/CWN) - An Associated Press/Ipsos Poll of the United States and nine of its closest allies has revealed that Mexico is the most religious, with 86 percent saying that religion is important in their lives. The US itself followed a close second with 84 percent, and France trailed at a distant last with a mere 37 percent. Canada floated somewhere in the realm of the lukewarm with 64 percent responding that religion is important to them.
The poll, conducted between May 13 and 26, asked 1,000 adults from each of the countries (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, and the UK) several questions that had to do with religious beliefs and how people integrate them into their lives.
On the whole, North America and Mexico demonstrated the most consistent trends towards religious beliefs, while Western Europe showed the lowest scores. France and South Korea had by far the highest concentrations of atheists, with 19 percent of respondents from both countries saying that they absolutely don’t believe in God. By contrast 6 percent claimed atheism in Canada, 2 percent in the United States, and a mere 1 percent in Mexico.
Interestingly enough, despite Mexico’s high level of religious fervor, Mexicans strongly objected to religious leaders trying to influence policy-making, with 77 percent opposed. Following a consistent trend, the United States was the most supportive of religious intervention in political affairs, with 37 percent responding that religious leaders should take part in government decision-making. "Our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian policies and religious leaders have an obligation to speak out on public policy, otherwise they’re wimps,’ said United States citizen David Black, a retiree from Osborne, Pennsylvania, who agreed to be interviewed after he was polled.
However, on the whole respondents from all the countries polled indicated a general opposition to religious involvement in politics.
Most of these results don’t come as a surprise. The citizens of the relatively young United States still cling to the Christian faith of many of the founding fathers, even while many of the country’s judges and politicians try to step back from its founding ideals. On the other hand, the poll demonstrates that the older European countries are continuing to follow the post-enlightenment trend of secularism reflected in plummeting birth rates and prevalence of contraception and abortion.
Italy, despite its record-low birth-rate, remains an anomaly in this regard. Eighty percent of Italians responded that religion was important to them, with 92 percent of the respondents listing Catholicism as their faith. Italy followed the United States on the question of whether religious leaders should take part in politics, with 30 percent expressing approval.
Source : cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=37654
Washington, DC, Jun. 08 (LifesiteNews.com/CWN) - An Associated Press/Ipsos Poll of the United States and nine of its closest allies has revealed that Mexico is the most religious, with 86 percent saying that religion is important in their lives. The US itself followed a close second with 84 percent, and France trailed at a distant last with a mere 37 percent. Canada floated somewhere in the realm of the lukewarm with 64 percent responding that religion is important to them.
The poll, conducted between May 13 and 26, asked 1,000 adults from each of the countries (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, and the UK) several questions that had to do with religious beliefs and how people integrate them into their lives.
On the whole, North America and Mexico demonstrated the most consistent trends towards religious beliefs, while Western Europe showed the lowest scores. France and South Korea had by far the highest concentrations of atheists, with 19 percent of respondents from both countries saying that they absolutely don’t believe in God. By contrast 6 percent claimed atheism in Canada, 2 percent in the United States, and a mere 1 percent in Mexico.
Interestingly enough, despite Mexico’s high level of religious fervor, Mexicans strongly objected to religious leaders trying to influence policy-making, with 77 percent opposed. Following a consistent trend, the United States was the most supportive of religious intervention in political affairs, with 37 percent responding that religious leaders should take part in government decision-making. "Our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian policies and religious leaders have an obligation to speak out on public policy, otherwise they’re wimps,’ said United States citizen David Black, a retiree from Osborne, Pennsylvania, who agreed to be interviewed after he was polled.
However, on the whole respondents from all the countries polled indicated a general opposition to religious involvement in politics.
Most of these results don’t come as a surprise. The citizens of the relatively young United States still cling to the Christian faith of many of the founding fathers, even while many of the country’s judges and politicians try to step back from its founding ideals. On the other hand, the poll demonstrates that the older European countries are continuing to follow the post-enlightenment trend of secularism reflected in plummeting birth rates and prevalence of contraception and abortion.
Italy, despite its record-low birth-rate, remains an anomaly in this regard. Eighty percent of Italians responded that religion was important to them, with 92 percent of the respondents listing Catholicism as their faith. Italy followed the United States on the question of whether religious leaders should take part in politics, with 30 percent expressing approval.
Source : cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=37654