Government

Public support for the separation of church and state is widespread in Western Europe, even in countries that have a government-mandated church tax to fund religious institutions, according to a new analysis of a recent Pew Research Center study.

In general, Western European countries that have a mandatory church tax aren’t any less religious than those that don’t have such a tax.

Sizable majorities of adults in six European countries with a mandatory tax say they pay it and few say they are likely to opt out.

Giving a share of one’s income to the church has been a part of European tradition for centuries. Today, several countries continue to collect a “church tax” on behalf of officially recognized religious organizations, in some cases levying the tax on all registered members.

The U.S. is one of 23 countries where the military draft is authorized but not currently implemented. An additional 60 have some form of an active conscription program.

Gender differences in the U.S. about the size and scope of government have been evident for more than a decade, but they have widened in recent years.

When Americans are asked to make up the budget for the federal government, they have little appetite for austerity measures. Asked about 13 different government program areas, from veterans benefits to foreign aid, no more than about a quarter favor reducing spending in any specific area. The survey by Pew Research Center, conducted March 20-25 […]

No world region has reached gender parity in the share of legislative seats held by women. Only three nations individually have reached or surpassed parity.

More than a third of the states that allow executions haven’t carried one out in at least 10 years or, in some cases, much longer.

About half of Americans say reducing the budget deficit should be a top policy priority this year for the president and Congress.