A new study from the Pew Research Center found that a majority of people in the 27 countries they surveyed are not opposed to religion having more influence on public life. They asked questions about religion as part of a larger survey on diversity, gender equality, religion, and family life. 30,133 people in 27 nations answered the in-depth questions.
More people think religion plays a smaller role in public life than it did 20 years ago. Although, the research report notes that there is “substantial regional variation on this question.” 58 percent of Americans and 64 percent of Canadians believe religion plays a less important role in their country, compared to 19 percent of Americans and 12 percent of Canadians who think it plays a larger role. However, majorities in several Asian and African nations believe religion plays a more significant role there than it did at the turn of the century. 83 percent of Indonesians, 65 percent of Nigerians, and 60 percent of Kenyans agreed that religion plays a larger role in their society.
European countries had the greatest antipathy towards an increased role of religion in public life. In Sweden, France, Netherlands, Spain, and Germany, a higher percentage of people opposed a more important role for religion, though the degree to which they opposed it varied greatly. Residents of Sweden had the highest rate of…
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