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Norwegians Believe Norwegian Culture Is Better Than Other Cultures

Norway is the only Western European country where majority believe their own culture is better than other cultures, according to a PEW survey.

A new survey done by the US Pew Research Center revealed that “Our people are not perfect, but we have a superior culture than others” is a common perception among many Norwegians.

The survey measured nationalist sentiment in 15 Western European countires by asking people whether they completely agree, mostly agree, mostly disagree or completely disagree with the following statement: “Our people are not perfect, but our culture is superior to others.”

Overall, there is no regional consensus in other 14 countries. Norway is the only country where a majority of respondents completely or mostly agree that their culture is superior. 58 percent of Norwegians completely or mostly agreed to the statement.
On the other side of the scale lies Spain, where only two out of ten support the statement.

“The figures reflect a widespread Norwegian self-esteem, which has strengthened after Norway has become an absurdly rich country,” said Professor Thomas Hylland Eriksen at the University of Oslo to Vårt Land.

Moreover, national pride is also very widespread in Norway. 92% of Norwegians say they are either “very” or “somewhat” proud of being Norwegian. Only Finland (94%) and Portugal (93%) have a higher national pride in this category.

“The figures reflect a widespread Norwegian self-esteem, which has strengthened after Norway has become an absurdly rich country,” said Professor Thomas Hylland Eriksen at the University of Oslo to Vårt Land.

But Norwegians do not think being Norwegian is related to race. Most Norwegian who participated in the survey emphasize civic elements of their national identity over nativist elements. Overwhelming majority (97%) say that speaking the national language and respecting their country’s laws are important to truly share the national identity of their country. By comparison, fewer people (40%) take the view that one must have family background in the country. Yet 21% of Norwegians say one must be Christian to be truly Norwegian.

These are among the key findings of a new Pew Research Center survey of 24,599 randomly selected adults across 15 countries in Western Europe. Interviews were conducted on mobile and landline telephones from April to August, 2017, in 12 languages. The survey examines not just traditional Christian religious beliefs and behaviors, opinions about the role of religious institutions in society, and views on national identity, immigrants and religious minorities, but also Europeans’ attitudes toward Eastern and New Age spiritual ideas and practices. Moreover the survey examines the beliefs and other characteristics of the religiously unaffiliated population in the region.

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