Religion on the Way Out in Europe
November 12, 2006
The 2006 Angus Reid World Poll
Mario Canseco - The Angus Reid World Poll conducted for Macleans
found that most Europeans and Canadians appear to be turning away
from religion, while Indians, South Africans, Mexicans and
residents of three Middle East countries still consider it an
important part of their daily lives.
France is at the bottom of the list, with only 17 per cent of
respondents expressing interest in religion, with Britain at 23 per
cent, Germany at 24 per cent and Spain at 31 per cent. Italy,
traditionally one of the most Catholic countries in Europe, is the
exception among continental nations with 51 per cent.
The trend towards secularism has been evident in France during the
presidency of Jacques Chirac. In February 2004, the French
government implemented a ban on religious symbols in schools as a
measure to reaffirm the countrys secular identity. Former
government minister Bernard Stasi headed the panel, which concluded
that some garmentssuch as Islamic scarves, Jewish kippas and
crossesrepresent a "conspicuous" sign of spiritual affiliation
that should not be allowed in the classroom.
Spain has also shown a tendency towards secularism during the
tenure of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who took over as president
from a conservative government in April 2004. The Socialist
administration legalized same-sex marriage over the objections of
religious associations, and compelled the Catholic Church to pay
the Value Added Tax (VAT) for the first time.
Saudi Arabia was the most religious country of the 20 nations
surveyed at 96 per cent, followed by Egypt with 89 per cent, South
Africa with 70 per cent, Lebanon and Mexico with 65 per cent each,
and India with 55 per cent.
Islam is the official religion of Saudi Arabia, the legal system is
based on Islamic law or Sharia, and all citizens have to be
Muslims. In Egypt, 90 per cent of the population is Muslim. South
Africa is predominantly Christian, but a third of the population
follows traditional and indigenous beliefs, Islam or Hinduism. In
Lebanon, religious diversity is entrenched in the Constitution, and
the Assembly of Representatives allocates half of the seats to
Catholics, and the other half to Muslims.
Earlier this year, some newspapers in Western Europe decided to
re-print a series of controversial cartoons depicting Muslim
prophet Mohammed, which had originally appeared in Denmarks
Jyllands-Posten. The two most contentious drawings show Mohammed
with a bomb for a turban, and greeting suicide bombers in heaven.
Public protests occurred in more than a dozen countries, and the
embassies of Denmark and Norway in Syriaas well as the Danish
consulate in Lebanon and an Italian consulate in Libyawere torched
by mobs.
In North America, a change in Canadian perspectives has been
evident over the past 14 years. In 1992, 61 per cent of respondents
said religion was very important for their daily lives. This year,
the number dropped to 39 per cent. In the United States there was
also a decrease, from 83 per cent in 1992 to 63 per cent in
2006.
The U.S. has faced constant debates that have examined the role of
religion in daily life, particularly in regard to the ethical
questions posed by embryonic stem cell research and abortion, as
well as euthanasiaexemplified during the case of Terri Schiavo in
2005. Another avenue of discussion is the emergence of the theory
of intelligent design, which suggests certain biological mechanisms
are too complex to have developed without the involvement of a
powerful force or intelligent being, and has been chastised by
scientists as a concealed method of teaching creationism.
Mexico is the only predominantly Catholic country where more than
60 per cent of respondents express an interest in religion. Mexican
president Vicente Foxwho will step down in December after a
six-year termopenly discussed his faith during speeches and press
conferences, a rarity for Mexican heads of state.
Despite the variations across the globe, spirituality clearly has
an influence on the way people feel. 60 per cent of global
respondents who expressed optimism in the future say religion is
very important to their daily lives. Conversely, 63 per cent of
respondents who feel pessimistic about their outlook think religion
is simply not that significant.