New research reveals the religious views of Americans and Canadians and who's more supportive of politicians talking about their faith in public, and which country's population is more engaged in acts of service. 

The non-partisan think tanks Cardus and the Angus Reid Institute released a report Wednesday contrasting the religious views of Americans and Canadians. The research, based on responses collected from 5,001 Americans and 5,001 Canadians in March and first published earlier this month, found that Americans are significantly more religious than their Canadian counterparts. 

When asked if they agreed that religion was “very important” in their “day-to-day life,” 33% of Americans indicated that they “strongly agree” compared to just 17% of Canadians. Conversely, nearly half of Canadians (45%) told pollsters they “strongly disagree” that religion is “very important” in their “day-to-day life,” while just over a quarter (26%) of Americans said the same. 

The report also found that a plurality of Canadians (44%) fall into the “spiritually uncertain” category based on their belief in a higher power, belief in life after death, the importance of parents teaching their children about religious beliefs, how often they feel they experience God’s presence, how often they pray to God or a higher power, how often they read the Bible, Quran or other sacred text and how often they attend religious services.

An equal share of Canadians (19%) fell into the “non-believers” and “privately faithful” categories. By contrast, a plurality of Americans (37%) fell into the “religiously committed” category, along with a significantly smaller share of Canadians (18%). An equal percentage of Americans fell into the “privately faithful” and “spiritually uncertain” categories (27%), while only 10% are “non-believers.” 

When it comes to church attendance, majorities of both Canadians (72%) and Americans (56%) reported that they “never” or “only rarely” attend church services. However, a significantly higher share of Americans (27%) go to church weekly than Canadians (13%). Similarly, 30% of American respondents reported “reading the Bible, Quran, or other sacred text” at least once a week compared to just 13% of Canadians. 

Eighty-one percent of Americans and 65% of Canadians expressed belief in a higher power, while 77% of Americans and 51% of Canadians believe in life after death. Just under one-half (49%) of Americans agreed that “All of the great religions of the world are equally good and true,” along with 40% of Canadians. 

When asked how frequently they experience God’s presence, a plurality of Americans (32%) said they felt His presence every day, while a plurality of Canadians (44%) said they never feel God’s presence. By contrast, only 17% of Americans said they feel God’s presence every day, while 23% of Americans reported never feeling His presence. 

Americans and Canadians also differ on their views about proclaiming their faith publicly. Sixty-nine percent of Americans agreed with a statement declaring “I’m public about my religion and faith and don’t mind other people knowing I’m a believer,” compared to just 56% of Canadians.

When it comes to their views on politicians bringing up their religious beliefs in public life, Americans and Canadians hold almost diametrically opposed positions. A majority of Americans (56%) agreed that “Americans who hold public positions should feel free to speak and act based on their religious beliefs,” while 44% endorsed keeping “God and religion completely out of public life.” 

On the other hand, nearly two-thirds (66%) of Canadians expressed support for keeping “God and religion completely out of public life,” while 34% agreed that Canadian politicians should have the ability to “speak and act based on their religious beliefs.” 

Even as Americans are more likely to believe in God and the tenets of Christianity than Canadians, the research shows that Canadians who fall into the “religiously committed” category are more involved in acts of service than their American counterparts.

Fifty-five percent of religiously committed Canadians told researchers that they volunteer for a community group or cause compared to 51% of religiously committed Americans. 

An overwhelming majority of both religiously committed Canadians (82%) and religiously committed Americans (71%) reported donating money to a charitable cause. 

News Source : https://www.christianpost.com/news/americans-vs-canadians-whos-more-religious.html