Keep in mind that the U.S. is a very religious country. Only about 14% of Americans claim no religious affiliation. 77% identify as Christian, 1% as Jewish, 8% identify with other religious groups (Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and others each claim half a percent or less). The U.S. has the largest Christian population in the world. (See www.adherents.com.) Obviously, "non-believers" and Mormons are disproportionately represented in this survey. Most respondents so far are from North America.

National polls in the U.S. have shown that about 95% of Americans believe in God, 57% believe in Hell.

Comments
Here I've published some of your comments. (And my responses. Click here if you'd like to respond back.)

Evil exists, but it is a human creation.

--Evil is brought into being by human choices. Human beings, through action or inaction, create evil ("the devil" or whatever [folks] want to call it). But things created by humans are real. So I think evil does 'exist.'

--I was raised Catholic but trained as a scientist, and I guess I probably fall into the "rational materialist" category. I don't reject religion or "spirituality" outright, and have an affinity for "mysticism", at least the sort you get from Saints John of the Cross and Theresa of Avila, the Trappists, Meister Eckhardt, Zen Buddhists, and Sufi mystics.... Consequently, I don't believe God is a "person", nor is Satan, and neither occupies any fantastic un-Earthly realm like Heaven or Hell. Nor do either correspond to an Absolute Good or Evil, especially since neither exists, nor do they even make any sense. Human social relations are governed by morals and ethics that are created and agreed upon by society, and learned by individuals from their parents and people around them, usually at such a deep psychological level that to violate them triggers a strong emotional response, which is why Good and Evil "feel" like they exist outside of us. Given humans' biological attributes (need for shelter and sustenance, need for social contact, need for sex and reproduction, etc.), one might be able to predict that certain broad patterns would emerge in all or most human culture (proscriptions against murder, adultery, or theft, etc.), but that doesn't mean those rules are absolute features of the Universe. Plus, one might not be able to predict such broad patterns, and anyway even a cursory observation of the world's indigenous cultures reveals a wide variety of accepted and prohibited practices (human sacrifice in meso-America, female genital mutilation in sub-Saharan Africa, slavery in colonial America, all OK according to their inhabitants in their time)....

[Webmaster's note: Actually, human sacrifice was a feature of many cultures throughout the world. There is evidence of its existence in Ancient Greece, Northern Europe, Egypt, China, Persia, India... Once we understand the ancient context for human sacrifice (to preserve the social order) one could even argue that capital punishment is a modern form of it. Human sacrifice is, well, human.]

--I don't believe in an everlasting hell. I also question everlasting damnation as well. I believe we create our own hell here on this earth or we can create our own heaven. It all depends upon what is important to each of us. If we value a belief in hell then we will most likely consign someone to that realm as 'unworthy' of God's love. Obviously nothing can separate any of God's children (no matter what) from God's love. As for evil I do believe that evil does exist and that Satan exists. I believe that Satan exists and influences people to choose evil (to cause harm to others and to the environment) in any way he can. Each person is obviously responsible to him or herself to make wise choices that will lead to love and happiness. There is always agency in all aspects of existence. I think that people (especially ministers) can use fear of evil and Satan to control people to get them to do what they want them to do. This includes giving money or not associating with certain people they deem 'unworthy'. Jesus never taught any of this. He taught only love in all of its infinite diversity and glory.

--I think evil, hell and the devil are all around us. They are people's inhumanity to people.

Hell exists, but not in the stereotypical way Hell is usually portrayed

--This leads one to believe in the literal "fire and brimstone" interpretation of hell. I don't think things are literally that way. I do think that we will be judged on our actions and that the worst of mankind will end up in the worst possible existence after this life. I believe each of us will be overcome with amazement in the generosity of our father in heaven. We judge ourselves much harsher than he will. Guilt is not healthy. If we have actions that we realize we should change, then [we should] change them. Dwelling on things that we don't change does not do us or anyone else any good. I do not believe that anyone who ends up in hell will be at all surprised that they are there. They will have chosen that outcome far in advance. My response "No, I am sure I am saved" is also strong. While I do not believe I will go to "hell" I do feel that I have many challenges to overcome to get to where I would like to be as a person. So I would not state it as "I am sure I am saved", but I do think I'm doing OK.

[Webmaster's note: Actually, I specifically avoided a definition of Hell with fire and brimstone imagery. But I understand your point. I know that different religious traditions define Hell and damnation differently. In my Mormon upbringing, I was taught that even those who were eternally damned would not suffer torment in the next life -- unless they were sent to "Outer Darkness" for denying the Holy Spirit.]

--I believe in Satan and in Hell in more metaphoric terms, not in "literal" terms. I do believe that there is something like "Satan" that is the embodiment of evil, or the antithesis of good. But I don't think he's a real person with little horns and a pitchfork who lives in a place that smells of brimstone.

--This is one of my favorite quotes, though I do not know who coined it. Hell is where what we are meets face to face with what we might have become. I wholeheartedly believe this is the type of 'hell' we will find on the other side.

--Yes, I believe in Satan (and all those in his company). Many times, I have felt that I was evil. I was told by my bishop years ago when given a Melchizedek Priesthood interview, that Satan wanted to 'seal me his.' What a comforting thought! I've always been confused about whether or not my sexuality was evil. I tend not to think so; rather, it's what I do with it that's either good or evil. I've done all the right things: mission to France, marriage (20 years), six beautiful children, still active in the Church, etc. But fundamentally, I am deeply attracted to my gender. I have no physical attraction to the female anatomy. Many times, I have wondered what's going to happen to me. Where will I be in the eternal scheme of things? I'd like to think the Lord is preparing a 'mansion' somewhere for me. And if I can't be with my wife and children, then I'd like to be with a partner of my own gender for the rest of eternity. I will admit, I am very confused about many things.... Given the Lord's commandment to 'multiply & replenish', no man or woman should ever have to face this challenge in life. I've decided that if I want to stay in the good graces of the Church, I'm faced with living the rest of my life in lonely isolation. It's Hell sometimes, but I try to make the best of it.

Hell is where your enemies go

--I hope there is a hell for all of my enemies and heaven for me and all of my friends, or life would not make much sense, as bad people would get the same as good in the end, and there wouldn't be any justice.

[Webmaster's note: I'm not sure if this comment was offered tongue-in-cheek or not... Of course we all -- whether we admit it or not -- tend to assume that our "enemies" are going to "the other place." But since no one ever thinks of themselves as evil, isn't it just as likely that your enemies believe they are going to Heaven and it is you and your friends who are bound for Hell? Where enmity exists, isn't it possible that both sides are wrong and that both sides are candidates for Hell? Or maybe both sides have elements of justice on their side, and both are going to Heaven? I had a pastor once who used to say that the only thing that would ever truly exclude us from Heaven is our inability to accept that God's mercy extends even to people we would never extend it to ourselves.

To put things in even starker terms... Consider that even Adolf Hitler and his supporters never thought of themselves as evil. They believed, however, that Jews, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, Communists, etc. were evil, and Nazi officials involved in the "final solution" privately expressed the sincere conviction that future generations would thank Germany for the "service" they were performing for the world. In other words, the fact that somebody is our "enemy" does not make them evil; but how we decide to deal with our enemies might just make us evil.]

Hell doesn't exist, but to the extent it does, we're living in it!

--If there is a hell, we live it on this Earth as human beings. You would think that dealing with life and death in every day life would be enough for humans to deal with, but we get into war and kill each other in the name of religion, race, etc. Maybe people would stop inflicting so much evil toward each other if there were some bigger predator which was hunting us as we do to every other living thing on the planet.

--While I am marking my answer as 'no' the narrow concept of hell as defined, as a believer in reincarnation, I feel that our current existence on this mortal plane is, in effect, 'hell', the nether realm in which we are doomed to exist until we learn the lessons required to move on. 'On' to what, exactly, is a bit nebulous, with the eastern concept of Enlightenment fitting the bill for me better than most other lines of thought. Interesting survey!

The Devil exists, but we should take responsibility for our own sins

--My five-year-old spoke to me about the Devil. He is taking a bit of religious instruction from his babysitter, an evangelical Christian. Out of the blue he said to me "Dad, the Devil made me do (something)." I corrected him. The devil, I told him, can't make you do things. He can only tempt. By saying the Devil is the source of all evil, a five-year-old comes to believe that anything bad he does is someone else's fault. The devil tempts. That's all. How is he to learn responsibility if he can blame his sins on someone else?