Since religious issues have been much on our minds recently, I thought this
recent press release (although the data is from 2003) about
an  international survey on types and intensities of religious observances
interesting: you can find the poll at the site below; I include the
findings. Note they did not ask about observances at schools, but there is
a seeming universal need to worship some higher being.

http://www.zogbyworldwide.com/int/readnewswire.cfm?ID=724

ZOGBY WORLDWIDE POLL: press release 3/18/2005

Religious Devotion Worldwide: Patterns and Practices

Culture can play as strong a role as religion in determining whether and how
people practice a religious faith. Over several months in 2003, Zogby
International and the University of Rochester polled members of five major
faiths (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism) in seven
countries (India, Israel, Peru, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, United
States), for a total of twelve religious groups.[1] Broadly speaking, the
questions addressed theology, tolerance, religious leaders, religion in
politics, religion in society, and personal practice. The resulting Global
Religion Survey reveals tremendous diversity in observance but an
overwhelming tendency to worship a higher being in some way.

Places of Worship

Respondents most often practice their faith in one of two ways: worship with
family members in the home, or worship in a public religious space. Indian
Hindus (79%) are the most likely to say they normally worship at home with
family, followed by Muslims in Israel (69%), India (52%), and Saudi Arabia
(46%), and Christians in Russia (42%) and Peru (39%).

Communal devotion in a house of worship (church, synagogue, mosque, temple,
etc.) is most popular among Christians, most emphatically among U.S.
born-again Christians (81%), South Korean Christians (78%), and U.S.
Catholics (78%) and mainstream Protestants (69%). Peruvian Catholics (53%)
and South Korean Buddhists (45%) also attend services, albeit in more
moderate numbers.

Most Saudi respondents worship in one of these two ways (46% privately with
family, 29% in mosque), but they are also the most likely to say they
worship with a group in a non-religious public space (14%) or with a group
of friends in private (11%).

Recent Worship

Famous for the variety of their devotions, India's Hindus also patronize
temples in significant numbers -- 70% said they had attended a place a
worship within the past seven days. The number is even higher for South
Korean Christians (88%), followed by U.S. born-again Christians (68%), Saudi
Arab Muslims (56%), Indian Muslims (60%), U.S. Catholics (55%), and Peruvian
Catholics (46%).

Russian Orthodox respondents were the least likely to have attended a place
of worship in the past week (24%), followed closely by South Korean Buddhist
(25%) and Israeli Jewish (27%) respondents.

Religious Space in the Home

Substantial majorities of Indian Hindus (83%) and Peruvian Catholics (75%)
devote parts of their home to religious items, art, or activities. This area
can, of course, range from simple icons to an elaborate altar. Of the
Christians in the survey, Peruvians are the only group in which a majority
maintains such a space; among Russian Orthodox respondents, the figure is
one-third (34%).

Almost half of South Korea's Christians (46%) maintain a religious space in
their home, in contrast to their Buddhist compatriots (18%). Almost six in
ten (58%) of Israeli Jews and Saudi Muslims do likewise -- more than Muslims
in India (47%) or Israel (44%).

As a nation, Americans are the least likely group to reserve part of their
home for religious devotion (16% mainstream Protestant, 27% born-again, 29%
Catholic).

Religious Activities

It is in modes of worship that the greatest variety emerges. Group worship
is most popular among Christians. Group worship is most popular among South
Korean Christians (47%), followed by U.S. born-again Christians (41%), South
Korean Buddhists (37%), and Indian Muslims (36%). The low group-worship
number for Hindus -- 27%, compared to the 70% above who said they had
recently gone to a temple -- reflects the fluid, individual nature of Hindu
worship even in the temple setting.

Most likely to worship alone are Peru's Catholics (56%), Israel's Muslims
(50%), and American Christians (45%); least likely to do so are Saudi
respondents (15%).

Fasting is more common among non-Christians -- especially Jews (33%), Hindus
(25%), and Muslims (16-23%) -- with the exception of Russian Orthodox
Christians (27%), whose tradition requires strict fasting during feasts such
as Advent and Lent. Visiting saints' shrines is most popular among Muslims
in Saudi Arabia (16%) and Israel (13%), and Hindus in India (13%) --
followed by Buddhists in South Korea and Catholics in the U.S. (10% each).
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