America in the World

More Americans “Pro-Life” than “Pro-Choice” for first time

Barack Obama may have overturned President Bush's abortion-restricting policies but Americans as a whole are becoming more "pro-life" according to a new Gallup survey.  Asked if they are pro-life or pro-choice 51% say the former, 42% the latter. "This is the first time," reports Gallup, "a majority of U.S. adults have identified themselves as pro-life since Gallup began asking this question in 1995."

76% of Americans still say that abortion should be legal under certain (53%) or all (23%) circumstances but the trend is another example of American exceptionalism.

There are over 325,000 churches, synagogues and mosques in America

AmericaInTheWorld's briefing on religion captures the enormous contribution of Christian and other faith communities to public life in America.  In particular:

• The civil rights movement:
• Domestic poverty-fighting:
• Questions of international justice:

Read the full briefing here.

The pastor who most resembles the breadth of the public policy concerns of contemporary American Christians is Rick Warren.  He is profiled in this week's Economist as "the next Billy Graham".  The American Christian is caricatured as interested only in abortion and homosexuality.  In reality Christians account for much of the $35bn of private aid that the USA donates to the third world.