Why Abortion Doesn't Resonate in European Politics

The more religious character of American society, particularly the greater presence of evangelical Protestants, is part of the explanation, says Drew Halfmann, a sociology professor at the University of California, Davis. A 2016 Pew Research Center study found that 69% of white evangelical Protestants in the U.S. thought abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, compared with 20% of those without any religious affiliation. According to a 2011 Pew study, only about a fifth of Spaniards and Germans and just 13% of the French deem religion very important in their lives, compared with half of Americans.