Ian K.

Judge-Lord
Political Science 324: Religion and Politics
University of Wisconsin—Stevens Point
Final Paper
Tuesday May 10, 2016

“The Less You Believe, the More You Know”

The Inverse Relationship Between Religiosity and Education, Personal Freedom and
Tolerance

I. Thesis and Methodology

This project compared and contrasted the relative religiosity of nations such as

Canada and the nations of Northern and Western Europe against each nation’s rankings

in terms of education and personal freedom as well as issues such as homosexuality [as

gauged by acceptance and legalization of same-sex marriage]. The thesis of the project is

that the least religious nations in the developed first world will be not only the best

educated and the freest but also the most accepting of things such as same-sex marriage.

II. Religiosity

The first set of data for this project were a pair of polling results from Gallup: a

poll of 145 countries from February 9, 20091 by University of New York—Buffalo

Professor of Psychology Brett Pelham [Ph.D., Social Psychology, University of Texas—

Austin] and another of 131 countries from August 31, 20102 by Gallup Editor Steve

Crabtree [Ph.D., George Mason University]. Both polls asked 1,000 individuals in each

country the question “Is religion an important part of you daily life?”

1
Crabtree, Steve and Pelham, Brett. “What Alabamians and Iranians Have in Common”.
Gallup. February 9, 2009
2
Crabtree, Steve. “Religiosity Highest in World’s Poorest Nations”, Gallup, August 31,
2010

1
 In Pelham’s February 2009 poll, 78% of 1,000 adults polled in the Northern

European Republic of Estonia identified religion as “Unimportant”, the third highest of

the 145 countries polled. In Crabtree’s August 2010 poll, the number of people in Estonia

who identified religion as “Unimportant” had increased to 84%, the highest of the 131

countries polled. In February 2009, the highest of the 145 nations polled was the 83% of

those polled in the Scandinavian Kingdom of Sweden who identified religion as

“Unimportant”. However, by August 2010, the number of people in Sweden who

identified religion as “Unimportant” had dropped a percentage point to 82%, dropping

Sweden to the second highest spot out of the 145 countries polled. In February 2009, the

number two spot was occupied by the 80.5% of people in the Nordic Kingdom of

Denmark that identified religion as “Unimportant”. By August 2010, that number had

decreased half a percentage, which was enough to drop Denmark to the third position.

According to “Statistics Estonia” by the Estonia Ministry of Finance in April

2013, only a quarter of the population of Estonia were affiliated with a religion.3

According to an October 2010 report from Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for

Research, Innovation and Science for the Directorate-General for Research and

Innovation for the European Commission of the European Union, only 18% of the people

of Estonia and Sweden said they “believe there is a god”4. In Denmark, that number was

28%.

In “The Cambridge Companion to Atheism” by Boston University Professor of

Philosophy Michael Martin [Ph.D., Harvard University], published by Cambridge

3
Beltadze, Diana. “Over a Quarter of the Population Are Affiliated with a Particular
Religion”. Population and Housing Census. April 29, 2013
4
Moedas, Carlos. “Special Eurobarometer: Biotechnology”. Directorate-General for
Research, Innovation and Science. October 2010

2
University on October 30, 2006, Pitzer College Professor of Sociology Philip Zuckerman

[Ph.D., Sociology, University of Oregon] placed the rate of atheism in Sweden at 85%.5

III. Tolerance

The second set of data for this project was a ranking of 70 countries by their rate

of approval for same-sex marriage, based upon polls from a wide variety of sources.

According to an October 2015 study by Vera Jourova, the Commissioner for

Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality for the Directorate–General for Justice and

Consumers for the European Commission of the European Union, 90% of the people of

Sweden agree with the statement “Same Sex Marriage Should Be Allowed Throughout

Europe”6 [the second highest of 70 countries]. That’s up from 71% in Sweden in the

same study conducted in Autumn 2006, and 81% from Ipsos in May 2013.7 In a poll the

year before in December 2012, published in January 2013, YouGov, based in the United

Kingdom of Great Britain, found that number was 79% in both Sweden and Denmark.8

The 73% of the 1,000 people in the United Kingdom of Great Britain in Pelham’s

February 2009 Gallup poll that identified religion as being “Unimportant” placed it 8th

out of the 145 nations polled.9 That number remained unchanged in Crabtree’s August

2010 Gallup poll, but bumped the UK up to 6th out of 131 countries polled10. According

5
Zuckerman, Philip. “Atheism: Contemporary Numbers and Practices”. In Martin,
Michael. “The Cambridge Companion to Atheism”. Cambridge University. October 30,
2006. Pages 47-50
6
Jourova, Vera and Michou, Paraskevi. “Special Eurobarometer: Discrimination in the
EU in 2015”. Directorate-General for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality. October
2015
7
Deeney, Chris. Et al. “Same-Sex Marriage”. Ipsos. June 2013
8
Macleod, Harris. “French Opposed to Gay Adoption”. YouGov. January 11, 2013
9
Crabtree and Pelham, 2009
10
Crabtree, 2010

3
to the European Science Foundation’s European Social Survey in 2008, 52.64% of those

surveyed in the UK did not belong to a religion.11 That was up from 49.24% from the

same survey in 2004. In the 2010 European Commission study, only 33.7% of people in

the UK said that the “believe in a god”.12 By a 2011 YouGov poll, that number had

dropped three percentage points to 34%.13 The 87% of people in Denmark that agreed

with this statement in the 2015 European Commission study placed it in the third

position.14

The Parliament of Sweden legalized same sex marriage on April 1, 2009, the 7th

nation in the world to do so, with a law that came into effect a month later on May 1,

2009.15

IV. Education

According to the 2015 Prosperity Index published by the London-based Legatum

Institute, Denmark is ranked as the third best nation out of 142 in terms of Education.16

According to the 2008 Human Development Index, published by the United Nations

Development Program, Denmark was tied for first with Finland, Australia and New

Zealand on its Education Index, calculated from mean years of schooling and expected

11
European Research Infrastructure Consortium. “ESS Cumulative Data Wizard”.
European Science Foundation. 2010
12
Moedas, 2010
13
“YouGov-Cambridge Survey Results”. YouGov-Cambridge. May 20, 2011
14
Jourova and Michou, 2015
15
“Sweden Allows Same Sex Marriage: Sweden Will Allow Gay Couples to be Legally
Married from Next Month”. BBC News. Thursday April 2, 2009
16
Hansen, Sian. “2015 Legatum Prosperity Index”, Legatum Institute. November 2015

4
years of schooling.17 The Central Intelligence Agency’s World Fact Book placed Literacy

for both men and women in Denmark at 99% in 2003.18

In Professor Pelham’s February 2009 Gallup poll, the 70% of the 1,000 people

polled in Finland who identified religion as “Unimportant” placed it ninth out of the 145

nations polled.19 In the 2010 European Commission study, only 33% of people in

Finland said that they “believe there is a god”20; down from 41% in the same study in

2005. In Michael Martin’s “Cambridge Companion”, Zuckerman places the rate of

atheism in Finland at 60%.21

In addition to being tied for first with Denmark, Australia and New Zealand on

the UN Development Program’s Education Index in 200822, Finland is also ranked 7th out

of 142 countries in terms of Education on the Legatum Institute’s Prosperity index in

2015.

The number one position on Legatum’s Education rankings belongs to Australia.23

Like in Denmark, the CIA World Fact Book puts the literacy rate in Australia at 99%.24

The other nation that was tied for first with Australia in the 2008 UN Education Index

was New Zealand.25 The Legatum Institute ranked New Zealand 6th in terms of Education

on their 2015 Prosperity Index.26 In 2009, the Organization for Economic Cooperation

17
“Human Development Reports”. United Nations Development Program. December 18,
2008
18
“The World Fact Book”. Central Intelligence Agency. 2003
19
Crabtree and Pelham, 2009
20
Moedas, 2010
21
Zuckerman, 2006
22
United Nations, 2008
23
Hansen, 2015
24
Central Intelligence Agency, 2003
25
United Nations, 2008
26
Hansen, 2015

5
and Development’s Program for International Student Assessment ranked New Zealand

7th in reading and science.27

V. Personal Freedom

Along with Education, among the categories that the Legatum Prosperity Index

ranks its 142 countries on is Personal Freedom. On this list; New Zealand takes second in

the world.28 Canada’s Fraser Institute ranked New Zealand as the number one freest

nation on their Worldwide Index of Human Freedom in 2012.29

Canada itself beat out New Zealand for the number one spot in terms of Personal

Freedom on the Legatum Prosperity Index in 2015. On the same Index, when it comes to

education, Canada takes second place to Australia out of the 142 countries.30 The CIA’s

World Fact Book places the literacy rate of Canada at 99%.31

Sweden’s own Scandinavian neighbor to the North is the Kingdom of Norway.

On Pelham’s February 2009 Gallup poll, the 78% of the 1,000 people polled in Norway

placed it at number four behind Estonia.32 In the 2010 European Commission Study, only

22% of people in Norway said that they “believe there is a god”.33 In Michael Martin’s

“Cambridge Companion” in 2006, Zuckerman places the rate of atheism in Norway at

72%.34

27
“Program for International Student Assessment”. Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development. 2009
28
Hansen, 2015
29
“New Zealand Ranked Number 1 in New Comprehensive Index of Human Freedom;
U.S. and Denmark Tied for Seventh”. Fraser Institute. January 8, 2013
30
Hansen, 2015
31
Central Intelligence Agency, 2003
32
Crabtree and Pelham, 2009
33
Moedas, 2010
34
Zuckerman, 2006

6
 The 78% of people in Norway that were in favor of same-sex marriage in an Ipsos

poll in June 2013 placed it 7th in the world.35 Earlier that same year, the January 2013

YouGov poll found that number at only 70%.36 Norway became the sixth nation in the

world to legalize same-sex marriage, with a law that came into effect on January 1,

2009.37

In terms of Education, the Legatum Institute ranks Norway 5th in the world on its

2015 Prosperity Index.38 The Central Intelligence Agency puts Norway’s Literacy Rate at

a startling 100%.39 The Legatum Prosperity Index also ranks Norway 3rd out of its 142

countries in Personal Freedom behind New Zealand.

In between Denmark and Norway on Legatum’s Index in terms of Education is

the Netherlands.40 In 2008, the OECD ranked the Netherlands 9th best in the world in

Education.41

VI. Legalization

The 2015 European Commission study found 91% of respondents in the

Netherlands in favor of same-sex marriage42, the highest out of any country. This is up

from 85% in a May 2013 study by the French Institute of Public Opinion.43

Unsurprisingly, the Netherlands became the first-ever nation to officially legalize same-
35
Deeney, 2013
36
Macleod, 2013
37
Associated Press. “Norway Passes Law Approving Gay Marriage”. Los Angeles Times.
June 17, 2008
38
Hansen, 2015
39
Central Intelligence Agency, 2003
40
Hansen, 2015
41
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2009
42
Jourova and Michou, 2015
43
“Rightward shift of European Public Opinion”, Opinion and Business Strategies
Department, French Institute of Public Opinion. June 6, 2013

7
sex marriage, with a law signed by Queen Beatrix Armgard on December 21, 200044 that

went into effect on April 1, 2001.45

The Senate of Canada followed behind, legalizing same-sex marriage on July 18,

2005, the fourth nation to do so.

In 4th place below Canada, New Zealand and Norway on the Legatum Institute’s

Prosperity Index of Personal Freedom is the tiny Grand Duchy of Luxembourg46, with an

area of less than a thousand square miles.

The 75% of people in Luxembourg in the 2015 European Commission study in

favor of same-sex marriage places it in 9th place.47

To the South and West of Luxembourg is France. The 69% of the 1,000 people in

France who identified religion as being “Unimportant” in Crabtree’s August 2010 Gallup

poll put it in 8th place out of the 131 nations polled.48 In the 2010 European Commission

study, only 27% of people in France said that they “believe in a god”.49

44
“Dutch Legislators Approve Full Marriage Rights for Gays”. New York Times.
September 13, 2000
45
“Same-Sex Dutch Couples Gain Marriage and Adoption Rights”. New York Times.
December 20, 2000
46
Hansen, 2015
47
Jourova and Michou, 2015
48
Crabtree, 2010
49
Moedas, 2010

8
VII. Inverse Relationships

Because this project was examining any relationship, positive or negative,

between a nation’s religiosity and education, freedom and tolerance, the next data set

examined was the data from the same two Gallup polls on the opposite end: the most

religious nations.

The 98.5% of the 1,000 people in the Central African Democratic Republic of the

Congo in Professor Pelham’s February 2009 Gallup poll who identified religion as being

“Very Important” places that country as the 4th most-religious country out of the 145

countries polled.50

The Legatum Institute ranked the Democratic Republic of the Congo 133rd out of

142 countries in terms of Education on its Prosperity Index in 2015.51

The 98% of people polled in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania in Northwest

Africa who identified religion as being “Very Important” in Pelham’s February 2009

Gallup poll placed the country as the 10th most religious nation in the world.52 In

Crabtree’s August 2010 Gallup poll, that number had remained unchanged, but

Mauritania had been bumped up one spot to 9th place.53

The Legatum Institute ranked Mauritania 134th out of 142 countries in terms of

Personal Freedom on its Prosperity Index in 2015.

Just above the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the Legatum Institute’s

rankings on Education at 134th out of 142 countries is the Central Asian Islamic Republic

50
Crabtree and Pelham, 2009
51
Hansen, 2015
52
Crabtree and Pelham, 2009
53
Crabtree, 2010

9
of Afghanistan.54 In May 2006, the United States Library of Congress Federal Research

Division reported illiteracy rates in Afghanistan of 57% for men and 86% for women.55

Afghanistan also ranks 133rd out of 142 countries on the 2015 Legatum Prosperity

Index in terms of Personal Freedom.56

VIII. Conclusions

In 72% of the nations studied for this project, the nation’s ranking on Crabtree’s

and Pelham’s February 2009 and August 2010 Gallup polls of religiosity were inversely

proportional to its Education ranking on the 2015 Legatum Institute Prosperity Index.

In 88% of the nations studied for this project, the nation’s rankings on Crabtree’s

and Pelham’s Gallup polls on religiosity were inversely proportional to its Personal

Freedom ranking on the Legatum Prosperity Index.

Denmark’s ranking of third least religious in the 2010 Gallup poll57, for example,

was directly proportional to not only its ranking of third on the Legatum Institute’s 2015

Prosperity Index in Education58 but also its ranking of third most-accepting of same-sex

marriage in the 2015 European Commission study.59

Norway’s ranking of fourth least-religious country in Professor Pelham’s

February 2009 Gallup poll60 corresponded to its ranking of 5th in Education and 3rd in

Personal Freedom on the 2015 Legatum Prosperity Index.61

54
Hansen, 2015
55
Berry, Laverne. “Modern Education” (Handloff, Robert; Editor). Library of Congress
Federal Research Division. May 2006
56
Hansen, 2015
57
Crabtree, 2010
58
Hansen, 2015
59
Jourova and Michou, 2015
60
Crabtree and Pelham, 2009
61
Hansen, 2015

10
 Sweden’s ranking as the second least religious nation in Crabtree’s August 2010

Gallup poll62 was directly proportional to its ranking as the second most-accepting nation

of same-sex marriage in the 2015 European Commission study.63 Luxembourg’s ranking

as the tenth least-religious country in Crabtree’s August 2010 Gallup poll64 corresponded

to its ranking of ninth most-accepting of same-sex marriage in the 2015 European

Commission study.65

Mauritania’s ranking of ninth most-religious in Crabtree’s August 2010 Gallup

poll66 corresponds to its ranking of eighth to last in Personal Freedom on the 2015

Legatum Institute Prosperity Index.67

In a couple of cases, the relationships that were found were direct rather than

inverse, but had nothing to do with the nation’s ranking on religiosity.

As cited above, for example, the Netherlands’ rank as the most-accepting nation

of same-sex marriage in the 2015 European Commission study68 corresponds to it having

been the first nation to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001.69 Sweden’s ranking of

seventh in Personal Freedom on the 2015 Legatum Institute Prosperity Index70

corresponded to it being the seventh nation to legalize same-sex marriage in 2009.71

62
Crabtree, 2010
63
Jourova and Michou, 2015
64
Crabtree, 2010
65
Jourova and Michou, 2015
66
Crabtree, 2010
67
Hansen, 2015
68
Jourova and Michou, 2015
69
New York Times, 2000
70
Hansen, 2015
71
BBC, 2009

11
 Denmark’s ranking of third in Education on the 2015 Legatum Prosperity Index72

corresponded to its ranking of third in acceptance of same-sex marriage in the 2015

European Commission study.73

Canada’s ranking of first in Personal Freedom on the 2015 Legatum Institute

Prosperity Index corresponded to it ranking of second in Education.

Norway was found to be in the unique position of being ranked third in Education

on the Legatum Prosperity Index74, fourth least-religious in Professor Pelham’s February

2009 Gallup poll75, fifth in Education on the 2015 Legatum Prosperity Index76, being the

sixth nation to legalize same-sex marriage in 200977 and seventh most-accepting of same

sex marriage in the 2013 Ipsos poll.78

In summary, the thesis of this project was that the least-religious nations would be

found to be the best educated, freest and most accepting of same-sex marriage. The above

data indicates that the project’s thesis has been confirmed.

2,362 Words

72
Hansen, 2015
73
Jourova and Michou, 2015
74
Hansen, 2015
75
Crabtree and Pelham, 2009
76
Hansen, 2015
77
Associated Press, 2008
78
Deeney, 2013

12
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13
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14