Canada is a former British colony and the histories of Canada
and Great Britain are inextricably linked. The two countries share
similar political and healthcare systems, and Queen Elizabeth II is
still Canada's head of state. But despite the similarities, a
recent Gallup Poll in the two countries* suggests Canadians and
Britons tend to have philosophical differences on the subject of
religious figures and the afterlife.
The survey presented respondents with a list of items associated
with religion and the afterlife -- God, angels, the devil, heaven,
and hell -- and asked whether they believe in each. Canadians are
substantially more likely than Britons to believe in every item
that Gallup asked about.
God, the Devil, and Angels
Canadians are far more likely than Britons to say that they
believe in God -- a finding that falls in line with other Gallup
data showing higher levels of religiosity among Canadians (see
"Britons Lack American Cousins' Piety" in Related Items). Seven in
10 Canadians (71%) believe in God, while 12% say they don't and 16%
are not sure. In contrast, barely half (52%) of Britons believe in
God and more than a quarter (28%) don't believe, while 19% are not
sure.
Canadians are also far more apt to say they believe in angels
than are their British counterparts. Fifty-six percent of Canadians
believe in angels, compared with 36% of Britons. About one in four
Canadians (24%) don't believe in angels, compared with 46% of
Britons.
When it comes to the devil, however, Canadian public opinion is
somewhat closer to that in Great Britain. Only 37% of Canadians and
29% of Britons believe in the devil, while about half in each
country (45% in Canada and 52% in Great Britain) don't believe that
the devil exists.
Overall, the data on angels and the devil suggest that Canadians
may have a somewhat more optimistic view than do Britons. Canadians
are substantially more likely to believe in God and angels than
they are to believe in the devil. In fact, the gap in belief about
God versus the devil among Canadians is 34 percentage points, while
the gap in belief about angels versus the devil is 19 percentage
points.
British citizens are also more likely to believe in the "good"
figures than the "bad," but to a lesser degree. The gap among
Britons in belief about God versus the devil is 23 points, while
the gap in belief in angels versus the devil is just 7 points.
Heaven and Hell
Almost 6 in 10 Canadians (58%) believe that there is a heaven;
48% of Britons agree. However, respondents from both countries are
less likely to believe in hell -- only 42% of Canadians and 32% of
Britons say they believe.
In this case, the gap between the percentages of people in both
countries who believe in the "good" place (heaven) over the "bad"
place (hell) is identical -- 16 percentage points.
America Weighs In
Canadians may be more likely than Britons to believe in
religious figures or eternal destinations, but Americans make even
Canadians look like skeptics. Nine in 10 Americans (90%) believe in
God and 81% believe in heaven. Seven in 10 U.S. adults (70%)
believe in both the devil and hell (see "Eternal Destinations:
Americans Believe in Heaven, Hell" in Related Items).
*Results in Canada are based on telephone interviews with
1,005 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Aug. 30-Sept.
6, 2004. For results based on the total sample of national adults,
one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling
error is ±3 percentage points. The survey was
conducted by Gallup Canada.
Results in Great Britain are based on telephone interviews
with 1,009 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Aug.
25-Sept. 7, 2004. For results based on the total sample of national
adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of
sampling error is ±5 percentage points. The survey was
conducted by Gallup UK.
