On balance, Central and Eastern Europeans also are more likely to say they believe in God, and to express some New Age or folk religious beliefs such as that certain people can cast curses or spells that cause bad things to happen to someone (the evil eye). Eastern Europe: Eastern Europe is comparatively less advanced regarding the economy. During the cold war period, this region was referred to as the Eastern bloc or else the Soviet bloc. To keep up with the pace of change, organizations that havent already can benefit greatly from exploring skills-based training. Check out Francis other posts on Big Think. 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. Indeed, Germany has always figured prominently in the history of Central Europe, beginning with the Holy Roman Empire that controlled much of the region in medieval times. https://www.nielsenreport.org The difference between Western Europe and Eastern Europe (and why it matters) During the last couple of years, it has becom. [CC BY-SA 3.0] via Commons, Filed Under: Countries Tagged With: Eastern bloc, Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe characteristics, Eastern Europe definition, Soviet bloc, Western and Eastern Europe compare, Western Europe, Western Europe characteristics, Western Europe definition, Western vs Eastern Europe. In much of Europe, life is laid-back and slow-paced; people work shorter hours and have lots of time with family. This is not to suggest that support for multiculturalism is universal even in Western Europe. While large majorities across the continent say they were baptized Christian, and most European countries still have solid Christian majorities, the survey responses indicate a significant decline in Christian affiliation throughout Western Europe. For example, in the Netherlands, 96% of adults say speaking Dutch is important for being truly Dutch. There is no precise definition of Eastern Europe. This may reflect the fact that multiple languages are spoken in these countries, including large numbers of Russian speakers in Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. 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. The subregion is home to two of Europes biggest political and economic powers, France and Germany. Michael Derrer, a Swiss consultant and translator for Eastern Europe, told me, Western perfectionism asks for improving situations, which of course is good in the long run, but Eastern Europeans can cope with situations that are not perfect, which is useful for the short-term individual well-being.. Since 2015, the have grown by 300 percent in the US. In this way, Eastern Europeans are similar to Western Europeans, although Eastern Europeans are one step more in the relaxed direction. Eastern Europe: Eastern Europe refers to the eastern part of Europe. Meanwhile, far fewer Western Europeans say they are currently Christian than say they were raised Christian. Eastern European culture is friendly and welcoming: from inviting strangers into your home to offerings of gifts and beverages. To summarize an entire way of life in a whole continent, much less one that contains around 50 countries, is no easy task. All human development, from large cities to small towns, shines light into the night sky. Christianity History & Location | How Did Christianity Spread? 2. Russian women facial features Russian women tend to have softer features than men. However, these arent just Eastern European traits; they are human traits. However, most Europeans have long, narrow noses, prominent cheekbones, hooded and almond-shaped eyes, and thin lips. And while adultery is widely frowned upon in the EU except, notably, in France Americans are even more likely to say having an affair is morally unacceptable. What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. Just over half in the U.S. (53%) say religion is very important in their life,nearly double the share who hold this view in Poland, which registered the highest percentage among EU nations polled in 2015. These are not the only issues dividing Eastern and Western Europe.5 But they have been in the news since a surge in immigration to Europe brought record levels of refugees from predominantly Muslim countries and sparked fierce debates among European leaders and policymakers about border policies and national values. In Belgium, for example, 55% of respondents currently identify as Christian, compared with 83% saying they were raised Christian. Moreover, Eastern Europe isnt the global leader on such issues (nor are they the laggard, either). According to my observations, the majority of Eastern Europeans (Slavs) have facial features such as high cheekbones and deep-set almond-shaped eyes with colors ranging from green, and dark blue, to light or dark brown. In Western Europe, far fewer people believe their lives are preordained roughly four-in-ten or fewer in most of the countries surveyed. Life in Eastern Europe has more and more in common with the West every day, especially in cities, where fast food chains are now common. The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union refers to common values in its preamble, which begins: The peoples of Europe, in creating an ever closer union among them, are resolved to share a peaceful future based on common values. Unexpected transformations in Eastern Europe have been central to the remaking of contemporary Europe. 2Americans tend to prioritize individual liberty, while Europeans tend to value the role of the state to ensure no one in society is in need. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. 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. They also have a small smile that tends to be more angled than Asians. Move Over BRIC. All rights reserved. Religious attendance in Western Europe is poor. 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. Some of Europes most recent armed conflicts have taken place in Southern Europe, most notably in the Balkans. Although there is no longer a physical east-west barrier in Europe, there still exists a faint, but measurable, cultural and economic divide. Western Europe is the part of Europe that generally includes the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Luxembourg. However, the U.S. is a clear outlier to this pattern a wealthy nation that is also relatively religious. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal. For a complete analysis of abortion laws in Europe and elsewhere, see . And most Hungarians say that being born in their country and having Hungarian ancestry are important to being truly Hungarian a typically Eastern European view of national identity. In parts of Europe where siestas aren't common (such as Western and Northern Europe), businesses tend to close earlier in the evenings. Southern Europe is where much of Europes history began. Just as it is in Western Europe, Germany is also the largest and most populous country in Central Europe. Artists like Van Gogh, Renoir, and Chagall, not to mention some of the worlds greatest orchestras, museums, and galleries. Another important reason is a connection with their national heritage. Life in Europe, like anywhere, varies a lot. While public opinion on the importance of religion, birthplace and ancestry to national identity is different in Central and Eastern Europe than it is in the West, people throughout the continent largely agree on some other elements of national belonging. The Central and Eastern Europe surveys were conducted via face-to-face-interviews, while Western Europeans were surveyed by telephone. All rights reserved. Western Europe is the part of Europe that generally includes the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Luxembourg. 1. The United Nations Geoscheme divides Europe into 4 subregions: Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Northern Europe, and Southern Europe. Fortunately, however, this bloodshed eventually gave way to happier times. I feel like its a lifeline. The advancements that these ancient civilizations made in governance, science, architecture, and the arts helped shape both Europe and the rest of the world. Indeed, Eastern Europeans routinely speak about the West (clumping the US and Western Europe) as if were all the same. The Western European region is very much advanced in its economy. Governments also tend to take a much heavier hand in their economies to this day, and will work hard to actively provide jobs for their people. The breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s resulted in much bloodshed. Lesson for Kids: Facts & Climate. On one side are NATO and the EU. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 84,000 Western Europe: United Kingdom, Norway, Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, Vatican City, Netherlands, Sweden, Malta, Italy, Iceland, Germany, Greece, Finland are some examples for countries that belong to Western Europe. Europeans across the continent are largely united in support of a separation between religion and government. Eastern Europeans are a gritty, intense, and supernaturally sturdy people. In America, the only pedestrian zones are in our spiritless shopping malls. An error occurred trying to load this video. The U.N. Geoscheme does not necessarily reflect the former or current geopolitical divisions of Europe. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World, Eastern and Western Europeans Differ on Importance of Religion, Views of Minorities, and Key Social Issues, important component of their national identity, Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe, Religion in Latin America: Widespread Change in a Historically Catholic Region, Tolerance and Tension: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Religion is central to life, especially in Italy where the Catholic faith is dominant. On the other side is Russia. Conscious of its spiritual and moral heritage, the Union is founded on the indivisible, universal values of human dignity, freedom, equality and solidarity; it is based on the principles of democracy and the rules of law. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. 1Americans are more likely to believe they control their own destiny. Life in Eastern Europe has more and more in common with the west every day, especially in cities. In a separate question, Western Europeans also are much more likely than their Central and Eastern European counterparts to say they would accept Muslims in their neighborhoods.1 For example, 83% of Finns say they would be willing to accept Muslims as neighbors, compared with 55% of Ukrainians. And how about multiculturalism and open borders? Life in Western Europe is different from Eastern Europe. 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. This pattern holds across the region; young adults in nearly every Central and Eastern European country are much more conservative on this issue compared with both younger and older Western Europeans. Eastern European cities have outstanding pedestrian zones. People are also much more religious here, especially in Italy where the Catholic faith is dominant. In general, Eastern Europeans are less stressed out than the West. For statistical purposes, the United Nations Geoscheme divides the continent into four different subregions: Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Southern Europe, and Northern Europe. These geographic races include: Europeans (which include Middle Easterners and Mediterraneans) Eastern Indians Asians American Indians Africans Melanesians Micronesians Polynesians Australian Aborigines 3. The Asian Europeans own a variety of cosmetic features, which includes high face and a prominent nostril. Meanwhile, Americans and Western Europeans are plagued with a Byzantine tax code. Their back head is much flatter whereas the Western skulls (including North, Central and Southern European) are more rounded. Therefore, do not misunderstand the information. Fundamental Rights in the European Union: The role of the Charter after the Lisbon Treaty. European Parliamentary Research Service. To really get a sense of traditional Eastern European culture, you have to venture beyond the cities into small towns and hamlets. And large shares in both Eastern and Western European countries say speaking the national language is important to sharing their national identity. In most Central and Eastern European countries surveyed, a quarter or more say they believe in reincarnation that is, that people will be reborn in this world again and again. Eastern Europe is the largest and most populous subregion of Europe. For example, on this question, the United Kingdom looks a lot like the United States.) The other countries of Northern Europe include the countries of Scandinavia, Finland, the Baltic States, Ireland, and Iceland. Europe has a population for more than 747 million people. Copyright 2007-2023 & BIG THINK, BIG THINK PLUS, SMARTER FASTER trademarks owned by Freethink Media, Inc. All rights reserved. But in several others, including Poland, Russia and Ukraine, the balance of opinion tilts in the other direction, with respondents more likely to say that abortion should be mostly or entirely illegal. For example, fully half or more of adults in Greece, Bosnia, Armenia, Georgia and Romania say religion is very important in their lives, compared with about one-in-ten in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and several other Western European countries. Levels of belief in reincarnation are more comparable across the region. Governments also tend to take a heavy role in economies compared to the West. 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 Europeans also express belief in God at lower levels than people in Central and Eastern Europe, where large majorities say they believe in God including overwhelming shares in several countries, such as Georgia, Armenia, Moldova and Romania. When examining the culture and society of the countries of Eastern Europe, a clear difference can be seen in family structures. 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. Germany has the worlds fourth largest economy, while France has the seventh largest economy in the world. Businesses tend to close during this time and reopen in the evening. City life is fast-paced and stressful when compared with Europe as a whole. Thus, Central Europe is a European crossroads of sorts, where different languages and cultures of the continent meet. For most people, the best news is that most of Eastern Europe is cheap to travel to. For example, majorities in Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway say it is not very or not at all important to be born in their country or have family background there to be truly Swedish, etc. Thats why they want to take away from us the right to decide with whom we want to live.. But Czechs also express low levels of acceptance toward Muslims, more closely resembling their neighbors in the East. regarding European colonization of Asia and popular folklores and figures. Moreover, although the concept of Central Europe exists both historically and currently, there is no consensus as to which countries should be considered part of it. In Spain, for example, only about half of adults under 35 (47%) say having Spanish ancestry is important to being Spanish, compared with 64% of older Spaniards. Posted on 3rd July 2021 Review of Democracy. All the countries of Northern Europe, except the UK, Iceland, and Norway, are now part of the EU. 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