Belief in God

Since 1944, Gallup has been asking about belief in God. The figure has always topped 90 percent. As of May 5-8 of this year, it was 92 percent, though there are differences among various groups:


As we indicate in the textbook, the United States remains a religious outlier among the wealthy nations. In April, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found: that 70 percent of Americans "definitely" believe in God or a Supreme Being. Here are figures for other countries

Italy.....................50%

Canada................46%

Australia..............29%

Germany.............27%

Great Britain.......25%

Belgium................20%

France..................19%

South Korea........18%

Sweden................18%

China....................09%

Japan....................04%

The poll also found that Americans were more likely than people in these countries to embrace creationism and rejection evolution.

"God Bless America" is the unofficial national anthem of the United States. In 2006, by contrast, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper stirred controversy when he closed a speech by saying "God Bless Canada." Though a poll showed that most Canadians approved, about a quarter disapproved. In 2008, Robert Sibley explained in The Ottawa Citizen:

Admittedly, "God bless" does sound odd coming from a Canadian politician. To borrow Vancouver Sun writer Douglas Todd's judgment: "The first taboo of politics in Canada (is) don't talk about your religion."

So it seems. Claude Ryan, the former Quebec Liberal leader, felt the pundits' wrath after he admitted his Roman Catholic convictions influenced his politics. "I once said on television that I was guided by the hands of God," he said. "I never retracted that statement because I believe it was true, but I never repeated it." Reform Party founder Preston Manning has had a similar experience. "In the House of Commons, it is taboo to get in any depth into what your own personal convictions are and how (they) might apply to public policy," he once said. "'We don't talk about things like that here,' is the unspoken rule."