Tuesday, December 14, 2004HOW RELIGIOUS ARE EUROPEANS AND AMERICANS?
Market Researchers Find Religious Divide Between East and West
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s04120055.htm
By Wolfgang Polzer
Special to ASSIST News ServiceNUREMBERG (ANS) -- The United States of America, Western and Eastern Europe are far apart as far as religion is concerned. While 86 percent of all US-citizens believe in a Creator God this only applies to 80 percent of the population in Eastern and 70 percent in Western Europe.
This is one of the results of a recent survey carried out by GfK Custom Research Worldwide with headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany. GfK researchers interviewed 21,000 persons in 21 countries in September and October on behalf of The Wall Street Journal Europe.
On the whole, women are more likely to believe in God than men. In Western Europe, for instance, three in four women are convinced that God exists but only two in three men. Only 32 percent of the population in the Czech Republic believe in a higher being and 42 percent in Sweden and Denmark.
On average three in four interviewees said that they belong to an organized religion. Religious affiliation is particularly strong in Rumania (97 percent), Turkey (95) and Greece (89). Rumania and Greece are predominantly Orthodox countries, while Islam is the main religion in Turkey.
Secularism seems to run high in the Netherlands, where just 53 percent of the population are affiliated with a church or religious community. In Belgium and Germany four in ten interviewees said that they do not adhere to a religious faith.
Among religious adherents Catholics have the majority in 13 of the 21 countries. With 98 percent each Italy and Poland are the strongest Catholic countries, followed by Spain and Slovenia (93) and Belgium (90).
Protestants are the dominant force in Denmark, Finland and Sweden with 90 percent each. According to GfK Protestants account for 57 percent of the religious community in the United States, Catholics for 26 percent. The only country with an almost balanced confessional quota is Germany with 48 percent Catholics and 43 percent Protestants.
There are significant differences in worship patterns between East and West. While 40 percent of the religiously affiliated in Central and Eastern Europe go to church at least once a week – Poland heads the list with 60 percent – only 25 percent of all West Europeans worship at least weekly. Almost one in two see the inside of a church four times a year or less.
An exception to the rule is Italy with almost 40 percent regular worshippers. Most Swedes and Danes on the other hand seem to shun churches. One in two said they hardly ever go to church.
GfK also asked about attitudes towards Jews and Muslims. On average 30 percent feel that anti-Semitism is on the rise; 35 percent see no change, and 14 percent believe that it is on the decline. 44 percent feel that rejection of Muslims is a significant factor, 30 percent perceive little rejection and 9 percent none at all. GfK is the German leader in market research and number five worldwide.
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