“Worldwide, Many See Belief in God as Essential to Morality,” 13 March 2014, Pew Research Center

These are among the main findings of Pew Research Center surveys conducted among 40,080 people in 40 countries between 2011 and 2013 (see “Survey Methods” for more details). The survey also finds that publics in richer nations tend to place less emphasis on the need to believe in God to have good values than people in poorer countries do. Two countries, however, stand out as clear exceptions to this pattern: the U.S. and China. Americans are much more likely than their economic counterparts to say belief in God is essential to morality, while the Chinese are much less likely to do so.

Read the full article here.