from the new pew global attitudes project :
Global publics are sharply divided over the relationship between religion and morality. In much of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, there is a strong consensus that belief in God is necessary for morality and good values. Throughout much of Europe, however, majorities think morality is achievable without faith. Meanwhile, opinions are more mixed in the Americas, including in the United States, where 57% say that one must believe in God to have good values and be moral, while 41% disagree.
as for the obligatory wealth vs religion:
I can’t help but feel European on this one. The US sure looks like an odd outlier in the graph. Europeans certainly have a sense of historical superiority in the religion & morality field: “the rest of the world will catch on some day”. I can’t say that the feeling is justifiable, but it is (actually) one of those quasi-religious certainties that you simply cannot whisk away.
