For the European Union, whose members include 24 of the 34 countries surveyed in this report, the term European values tends to signify what Americans might consider liberal ideals.2 The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union includes respect for cultural and religious diversity; prohibitions against discrimination based on religion and sexual orientation; the right to asylum for refugees; and guarantees of freedom of movement within the EU.3. In many Western European countries surveyed, roughly one-fifth of the population expresses belief in reincarnation, a concept more closely associated with Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism than with Christianity. In Central and Eastern Europe, meanwhile, younger and older adults express roughly similar views on this question. Majorities favor same-sex marriage in every Western European country surveyed, and nearly all of these countries have legalized the practice. A sampling of other topics that are said to divide Eastern and Western Europe, other than those included in this report, include sentiment regarding democracy; the importance of individualism in society, as opposed to collectivism; and overall economic well-being. What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. People will routinely spend several hours eating a meal with family. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. This is especially true in Western Europe, which is more secular than other parts of Europe. Eastern Europe: Albania, Bosnia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Russia, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine, Serbia, Slovakia, Moldova, Lithuania are some countries of Eastern Europe. The Baltic States, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, are Northern Europes newest countries, having regained their independence upon the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. But this view is more widespread in Western Europe, while several Central and Eastern European countries are more divided. Life in Western Europe is different from Eastern Europe. The Center previously has published major reports on both surveys: Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe and Being Christian in Western Europe. Many of the same questions were asked in both regions, allowing for the comparisons in this report. I am thinking of traditional values like progress towards higher well-being, family success, and traditional gender relations.. I took trains all the way from Istanbul to London, and eastern and western Europe felt like different worlds. Sweden is very famous for its many lakes, and Norway for its many fjords. In The Hidden Europe, I also examine 17 negative traits that Eastern Europeans have in common. Little typifies this approach to life more than the siesta, which is a short nap in the early afternoon, usually after lunch. Most of Russias land mass, however, is part of Asia, not Europe, as Russia is a transcontinental country, and has territory in both Europe and Asia. In Western Europe, there are a variety of reasons why many adults who were raised Christian have become unaffiliated. The other countries of Northern Europe include the countries of Scandinavia, Finland, the Baltic States, Ireland, and Iceland. Governments also tend to take a heavy role in economies compared to the West. Religion is central to life, especially in Italy where the Catholic faith is dominant. Many Eastern European cities are not designed around cars, and walking is common. While this is substantially lower than the median of 86% in Western Europe, it's much higher than the median of 46% who say the same in Central and Eastern Europe. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com. (See Religion in Latin America: Widespread Change in a Historically Catholic Region and Tolerance and Tension: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa.) In Western Europe, on the other hand, in no country does a majority express belief in the evil eye. The Romanian language consists of 75% Latin, 20% Dacian and 5% Slavic. These differences emerge from a series of surveys conducted by Pew Research Center between 2015 and 2017 among nearly 56,000 adults (ages 18 and older) in 34 Western, Central and Eastern European countries, and they continue to divide the continent more than a decade after the European Union began to expand well beyond its Western European roots to include, among others, the Central European countries of Poland and Hungary, and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Western Europe: Western Europe is economically more advanced as well as prosperous. This includes Armenia and Georgia where the balance of opinion favors government support for religious values and beliefs as well as Russia, where 42% of adults say the government should promote religion. All these countries are part of different subregions of Europe as defined by the UN Geoscheme. On balance, adults in Western European countries are less likely to view these nativist elements as important to national identity. Fully nine-in-ten Russians, for instance, oppose legal same-sex marriage, while similarly lopsided majorities in the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally. To summarize an entire way of life in a whole continent, much less one that contains around 50 countries, is no easy task. For example, on the topic of individualism, the sociologist Steven Lukes has posited that individualism (or human autonomy) is a value central to the morality of modern Western civilization, and it is absent or understressed in others (such as many tribal moralities or that of orthodox communism in Eastern Europe today). Lukes, Steven. Physical Traits of the Six European Races Found in Germany Nordic Race Western Race Eastern (Alpine) Race Dinarian Race East Baltic Race Phaehlian Race Build tall, slim short, slim short, stocky, broad tall, not-so-slim short, stocky, robust, big-boned tall, broad Legs long long short long short long Skull long, narrow, back of the head projecting For the sake of argument, it is probably safe to say that there are up to 9 countries that could be considered part of Central Europe. Life in Eastern Europe has more and more in common with the west every day, especially in cities. For example, 36% of Polish adults under 35 say they would be willing to accept Muslims in their family, far below the two-thirds of young French adults who say they would be willing to have Muslims in their family mirroring the overall publics in those countries. When Gallup asked, Did you experience stress yesterday? Russians were the most chilled out Europeans, with just one in 10 answering yes. Eastern Europe: Most people follow Orthodox Christianity or Islam. In parts of Europe where siestas aren't common (such as Western and Northern Europe), businesses tend to close earlier in the evenings. And how about multiculturalism and open borders? Communism, wars, and winters have sculpted their tradition of getting by with little. | Latin America Countries, Physical Features & Facts, North America Physical Map & Significant Features | Rivers & Mountain Ranges, Economy of the Europe System | Overview, Sectors & Strengths. In Bosnia, roughly half of the population is Muslim, while Russia and Bulgaria have sizable Muslim minority populations. However, today, Westerners are saddled with convoluted tax codes, while Eastern Europeans are champions of flat taxes. Therefore, do not misunderstand the information. For example, 61% of younger Estonians (ages 18 to 34) oppose legal gay marriage in their country, compared with 75% of those 35 and older. In America, the only pedestrian zones are in our spiritless shopping malls. And in a few countries, including Russia, Christians have increased as a percentage of the population. 1Americans are more likely to believe they control their own destiny. Compared to North American whites, the nose was much broader in East Asians and sub-Saharan Africans, the nose was longer and more prominent in Middle Eastern and Southern European populations (Greeks), the eyes were spaced farther apart in East Asians and some Middle Eastern populations, and the face was broader in East Asians. What are the reasons for these opposing patterns on different sides of the continent? This is again a result of the cold climate, as a wider nose helps to warm up air before it enters the lungs. Western Europe: Western Europe is economically more advanced as well as prosperous. They may whine and complain, but theyll endure any hardship and overcome any challenge with a stoic and grim determination. Although there is no longer a physical east-west barrier in Europe, there still exists a faint, but measurable, cultural and economic divide. It is also important to note that the divisions created by the UN Geoscheme do not necessarily reflect the historical or current divisions of Europe. Also, the people in Romania speak a language with romance roots, which is called the Romanian language. During the twentieth century, few regions on the planet suffered as much as Eastern Europeans. Move Over BRIC. Russian men often have angular faces with prominent noses. There is a strong tradition of hospitality in Eastern Europe, and generosity and goodwill are common: from inviting strangers to dinner to offerings of drinks and gifts. Southern Europe is where much of Europes history began. By contrast, this trend has not been seen in Central and Eastern Europe, where Christian shares of the population have mostly been stable or even increasing. On the other hand, Western Europeans are also diverse (compare Portugal with Norway), yet that doesnt stop us from seeing their common traits. As our polling has found over the years, Americans and Europeans often have different perspectives on individualism, the role of government, free expression, religion and morality. (At the same time, its worth noting that on this and other questions there are differences within Europe too. There are a few countries, however, where this sentiment is somewhat less common: Only about two-thirds of adults in Moldova, Finland and Bosnia say speaking the national language is important to truly belonging to their country, as do only 62% of Ukrainians and 54% of Belarusians. Mediterranean Europe is an area that includes Eastern Spain, southern France, Italy, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, and Albania. For example, 83% of adults in Hungary and 82% of adults in Poland say it is very or somewhat important to have been born in their country to be truly Hungarian or truly Polish. And 72% of Russians say it is important to have Russian family background to be truly Russian.. Age differences are stronger in Western Europe than in Eastern Europe on this issue: Younger adults across most of Western Europe are more likely than those ages 35 and older to prefer separation of church and state. Most of these adults say they gradually drifted away from religion, though many also say they disagreed with church positions on social issues like homosexuality and abortion, and/or that they stopped believing in religious teachings. Here, life is even more laid-back and relaxed than in the West. What is life like in Europe? Life in Europe, like anywhere, varies a lot. Meanwhile, Americans and Western Europeans are plagued with a Byzantine tax code. In addition, East Asia doesn't emphasize makeup the same way Western countries do; Asian makeup trends tend to have a larger focus on skin care. Eastern Europe: Eastern Europe is comparatively less advanced regarding the economy. All human development, from large cities to small towns, shines light into the night sky. However, these arent just Eastern European traits; they are human traits. In Belgium, for example, 55% of respondents currently identify as Christian, compared with 83% saying they were raised Christian. Altogether, these countries have a population of approximately 152 million people. Specifically, our European participants clearly fixated the eyes more in Caucasian (own-race) than in Asian (other-race) faces, in which, in comparison to Caucasian faces, they looked at the nose more often. Central Europe is not part of the UN Geoscheme for Europe. In many of these countries, the surveys show that people are less receptive to religious and cultural pluralism than they are in Western Europe challenging the notion of universal assent to a set of European values. Today, it is home to 15 countries. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. The cities of Western Europe, especially in the UK, France, and Germany, are responsible for a large proportion of the economic growth, and life there is different from much of the rest of Europe. Germany is the most populous country in Western Europe, with a population of approximately 83 million, while France has a population of about 63 million. Eastern and Western Europeans Differ on Importance of Religion, Views of Minorities, and Key Social Issues People in Central and Eastern Europe are less accepting of Muslims and Jews, same-sex marriage, and legal abortion Teens Take After Their Parents Religiously, Attend Services Together and Enjoy Family Rituals, How do European countries differ in religious commitment? Among Caucasians, tanning oil with little SPF is a beach essential while Asians commonly bring sunscreen with high SPF. This belief is most widespread in Greece (66%), Latvia (66%), Ukraine (60%), Armenia (59%), Moldova (57%), Russia (56%) and Bulgaria (55%). 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