Pious pupils in America perform better

America is very religious compared with other rich countries. In 2018 a study by Pew, a pollster, found that 53% of Americans say religion is important to their lives, whereas only 27% of Canadians, 22% of Spaniards and 10% of Britons agree. But the picture is uneven. Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to identify as religious (61% versus 37%). Southern states are also generally more religious than others. Whereas 77% of adults in Alabama and Mississippi identify as highly religious, only one-third of adults in New Hampshire and Massachusetts do.