According to a global Pew study, the wealthier you are, the less likely you are to be religious. Pew found that there is "a strong relationship between a country's religiosity and its economic status." The poorer a country, the more "religion remains central to the lives of individuals, while secular perspectives are more common in richer nations." The U.S. is the "most notable" exception. Other exceptions are oil-rich, mostly Muslim nations like Kuwait. There is debate about why: is it as people get less religious, they get wealthier, or is it the other way around? (NY Times 11/3/07)