Key takeaways from our new report about church taxes in Western Europe
Sizable majorities of adults in six European countries with a mandatory tax say they pay it and few say they are likely to opt out.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Read our research on:
Religion
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In Western European Countries With Church Taxes, Support for the Tradition Remains Strong
Giving a share of one’s income to the church has been a part of European tradition for centuries. Today, several countries continue to collect a “church tax” on behalf of officially recognized religious organizations, in some cases levying the tax on all registered members.
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5 facts about Buddhists around the world
Buddhists made up roughly 7% of the world’s population in 2015. Half of the world’s Buddhists live in China.
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The countries with the 10 largest Christian populations and the 10 largest Muslim populations
The global Muslim population is more concentrated in Islam’s main population centers than the global Christian population is for Christianity.
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4 facts about religion in New Zealand
Almost all New Zealanders said in a 2011-2012 survey that they would accept a neighbor of a different religion.
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5 facts about vaccines in the U.S.
Most Americans believe the health benefits of the MMR vaccine are high and the risks are low. Many favor school-based vaccine requirements.
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The share of women in legislatures around the world is growing, but they are still underrepresented
No world region has reached gender parity in the share of legislative seats held by women. Only three nations individually have reached or surpassed parity.
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Evangelical approval of Trump remains high, but other religious groups are less supportive
Roughly seven-in-ten white evangelical Protestants approve of Trump’s presidential job performance. Other religious groups are more divided.
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California is one of 11 states that have the death penalty but haven’t used it in more than a decade
More than a third of the states that allow executions haven’t carried one out in at least 10 years or, in some cases, much longer.
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Negative stereotypes about Jews are largely rejected in France
Reports of anti-Semitic incidents in France rose dramatically in 2018. Yet most French adults do not believe negative Jewish stereotypes and are accepting of Jews.
