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Eastern and Western Europeans Differ on Importance of Religion, Views of Minorities, and Key Social Issues
Majorities across Europe say national language, laws key to identity
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- Eastern and Western Europeans Differ on Importance of Religion, Views of Minorities, and Key Social Issues
- Vast differences across Europe in public attitudes toward Muslims
- Western Europeans more likely than Central and Eastern Europeans to say they would accept Jews, Muslims into their family
- Fewer people in Western European countries see religion as a key component of national identity
- Eastern Europeans are more likely to regard their culture as superior to others
- Most Central and Eastern Europeans oppose same-sex marriage, while most Western Europeans favor it
- Western Europe unified in support for legal abortion, Central and Eastern Europe more evenly divided
- Young adults in Central and Eastern Europe largely oppose gay marriage
- Even among young adults, relatively few in Central and Eastern Europe willing to accept Muslims in family
- Europe’s Christians split among Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants
- Large drops in Christian affiliation in Belgium, Norway, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden
- Overall, Central and Eastern Europeans are more religious than Western Europeans
- Belief in God more widespread in Central and Eastern Europe
- Central and Eastern Europeans more likely than Western Europeans to believe in fate
- Western Europe more united in support of church-state separation
- Central and Eastern Europeans more likely than those in West to say birth, ancestry important to national identity
- In Western Europe, young adults less likely than elders to link ancestry with national identity; not so in East
- Majorities across Europe say national language, laws key to identity
- Large drops in Christian affiliation in Belgium, Norway, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden