Countries in Central and Eastern Europe have higher levels of traditional religious practice and are more likely to believe in God than Western Europeans, said research published in December.
A Pew Research Centre survey also revealed that the Christian share of populations in Central and Eastern Europe is stable or increasing. But in Western Europe, Christianity is in decline. 56,000 adults were questioned between 2015 and 2017 in 34 Western, Central & Eastern European countries.
Pew Research Centre’s findings touch on topics due to be covered in the commentary’s additional articles. These include abortion, homosexuality and the Church and State.
Church / state separation
According to the research, Europeans are largely united in support of a separation between religion and government. More than half of adults in most countries say religion should be kept separate from government policies. Also, in Central & Eastern Europe, the majority in nearly all countries surveyed oppose same-sex marriage.
And the research revealed: ‘Even though abortion generally is legal in both Central & Eastern and Western Europe, there are regional differences in views on this topic, too. In every Western European nation surveyed – including the heavily Catholic countries of Ireland, Italy and Portugal – six-in-ten or more adults say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
