I've started reading *Society without God: What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us About Contentment* by Phil Zuckerman (NYU Press). He's a sociologist at Pitzer College who spent 14 months in Denmark in 2005 and 2006, and some time in Sweden. Aside from "countless" informal conversations, he conducted nearly 150 formal, structured, indepth interviews with Scandinavians from all ages, educational backgrounds, livelihoods, and locations (farms, villages, suburbs and cities). His purpose was to study Danish and Swedish society to determine what life is like in the most secular, atheistic nations on the planet.
He begins with some numbers.
Stats:
Belief in god--Over 90% of Americans claim to believe in god, studies report from 24 to 51% of Danes and 16 to 26% of Swedes believe in god.
How important is god in your life? (10 very important, 1 not at all)--23% of Swedes and 21% of Danes chose 7-10, among the lowest in the world.
Life after death?--30% of Danes and 33% of Swedes believe in such a thing, compared to 81% of Americans.
Belief in heaven?--18% of Danes and 31% of Swedes--81% of Americans.
Belief in hell?--Danes and Swedes 10%, lowest in the world.
Belief in sin?--Again at the bottom with Danes and Swedes at 21 and 26% respectively.
Bible the actual/literal word of God?--Danes 7%, Swedes 3%, Americans 33%.
Religious attendance--Once a month, Danes 12% and Swedes 9%.
Prayer, several times a month?--Danes 24% and Swedes 20%.
Danes and Swedes seem to be the most irreligious in the world.
Zuckerman then wants to look at societal health. He uses the United Nations' Human Development Report, among other international publications, to determine these rankings (see pages 26-29 if you want to know more about these rankings):
Highest life expectancy--Sweden ranks 6th, and nearly all the top 20 are relatively irreligious.
Low infant mortality rate--Denmark and Sweden tied for first.
Overall child welfare--Top three are the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark.
Wealth/GDP--Denmark is 4th, Sweden is 8th, and the majority of the top 20 are irreligious.
Economic equality--Denmark is 2nd, Sweden is 4th, most top 20 are weakly religious.
Economic competitiveness--Sweden is 3rd and Denmark is 4th, and of the top 20, only the United States is a highly religious country.
Gender equality--Denmark is 2nd, Sweden is 3rd.
Investing in education--Denmark is 4th and Sweden is 16th.
Environmental protection (how seriously a country takes global warming)--Sweden is 1st and Denmark is 3rd.
Lack of corruption--Denmark is 4th and Sweden is 6th.
Charity to poor nations--Denmark is 2nd and Sweden is 3rd.
Murder/crime--Denmark and Sweden have among the lowest murder and violent crime rates in the world, although they have relatively high petty crime rates.
Overall qaulity of life (The Economist's Quality of Life Index)--Sweden ranked 5th and Denmark 9th.
So the point of these statistics and rankings is not to suggest that being irreligious *causes* countries to be healthy, wealthy, and wise/charitable. But it provides some numbers to back up the belief that "a lack of religion doesn't seem to be a hindrance." Zuckerman doesn't deny that belief in God can do some good. "But the fact still remains that it is not the most religious nations in our world today, but rather the most secular, that have been able to create the most civil, just, safe, equitable, humane, and prosperous societies. Denmark and Sweden stand out as shining examples."
Addendum: It was pointed out to me that suicide rates in Scandinavia were ignored in my post. I didn't intend to pull a fast one there, since it has been mentioned in a previous post, but it certainly should be brought up again in this context. It's been my understanding that suicide rates in Scandinavia have historically been high. But, looking at the WHO website, Sweden ranks 35th, Denmark 40th, and the United states 38th for male suicide rates. Although, as Zuckerman points out, irreligious societies such as Hungary, Estonia, and Japan are in the top 20. For female rates, Sweden does come in at 20th, Denmark 27th, and the US 41st.
I would wonder is the health in scandinavia due to lack of religion or is lack of religion do to their health?
ReplyDeleteDoesn't the suicide rate contradict the at least the emotional health statistics?
I do not believe any conclusions can come from this study until an historical view of the type of society is included. The USA is a fast paced, stressed out society based on many factors where as the Scandinavian countries have been known in the past for the laid back attitude of life (Both of these can be related to religion but not faith) Again I am a broken record in pointing out that religion rather Christian or Islam or hindu is different than faith. Most of these studies are contrasting religious and irrelegious and excludes a belief in God that is not religious.
I think you have a good point. Maybe health, having it easy in life, keeps you from seeking out god and religion. People turn to religion more often when they’re in a bad way. Is that what you mean?
ReplyDeleteI don’t know about suicide rates ‘contradicting’ the other statistics. It just means the picture is a little complicated.
Zuckerman does include a broader description of Scandinavian society, as well as some history, in the book. I would recommend it. It’s got a very accessible style, for a book published by a university press.