In Eastern Europe, sharp rise in share of adults who describe themselves as Orthodox Christians

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May 8, 2017

Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe

In Eastern Europe, sharp rise in share of adults who describe themselves as Orthodox Christians

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In Eastern Europe, sharp rise in share of adults who describe themselves as Orthodox Christians

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Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe
In Orthodox-majority countries, higher support for public funding of the church
In Orthodox-majority countries, more people express traditional views of gender norms in marriage
In Orthodox-majority countries, majorities say their culture is superior
People in former Soviet republics see their countries are more religious today than in 1970s and 1980s
Majorities in Orthodox countries look to Russia to counter the West
More people in Orthodox-majority countries say governments should support spread of religious values
No regional consensus on whether people are better off living in a diverse or homogeneous society
Stronger support for patriarch of Moscow than patriarch of Constantinople
Homosexuality widely seen as morally wrong
Religious landscape of Central and Eastern Europe
Regional divisions in Ukraine
Religious majorities in Central and Eastern Europe
Political affiliations of surveyed countries
On balance, acceptance of Jews higher among Catholics; acceptance of Muslims higher among Orthodox
Across Central and Eastern Europe, lower acceptance of Roma than other groups
Among both Orthodox and Catholics, some hesitation about accepting the other as a family member
No regional consensus that democracy is preferable to other forms of government
People in Georgia, Russia, Armenia and Moldova more likely to have a favorable view of Stalin than Gorbachev
Dissolution of USSR seen as a good thing in Baltic countries, bad thing in most other former Soviet republics surveyed
Support for Russia as buffer against West more widespread among those who see value conflict with Western countries
In most Orthodox-majority countries, Russia seen as buffer against West
More adults in eastern than western Ukraine look to Russia as protector of ethnic Russians
Ethnic Russians agree Russia has responsibility to protect them
In Orthodox-majority countries, widespread support for Russia protecting Orthodox Christians
Higher acceptance of legal gay marriage among younger adults
Fewer than half of adults in Central and Eastern Europe say they pray daily
Large majorities of adults in most Central and Eastern European countries believe in God
In recent years, Orthodox shares fairly stable
Since 1991, substantial rise in share of Orthodox Christians in Russia
Religious landscape of Central and Eastern Europe
Strong association, especially in Orthodox-majority countries, between religion and national identity
Relatively low shares of Orthodox across Central and Eastern Europe attend church weekly
Decline in share of Catholics in Lithuania
Catholic shares declining in parts of Central Europe

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ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.

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