Though Belief in God is generally declining throughout the world, poor and developing countries often show a high degree of belief. The University of Chicago recently released a report titled "Beliefs About God Across Time and Countries" which found the Philippines to be the country with the highest belief. 94 percent of Filipinos said they had a strong belief in God and always had. On the other end of the spectrum, 13 percent of East Germany said they believed in God. The University of Chicago found that poor and Catholic nations usually exhibit the highest degree of belief in God. They also found that belief usually increases with age. Unbelief is most prominent in northwest Europe and in former Soviet states (excepting Poland). Belief has generally declined, but Slovenia, Israel, and Russia have seen increases.
The top 5 countries for people who sad they believed in God without doubts are:
1. The Philippines
2. Chile
3. Israel
4. Poland
5. The United States
I find this study interesting. I wonder if poor nations exhibit a higher degree of belief because they're looking for something to find hope in, and someone to guide them through a difficult time. But the U.S. isn't usually considered a poor country, it must be religious because of other reasons. What factors determine the "religiousness" of a country?
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