Denmark maintained high social trust while rapidly losing religious belief

Evidence

Denmark tops the lists of societies high on cooperation, social cohesion, and public trust. Denmark is also synonymous with “welfare state,” and in less than a century, has become one of the least religious societies on earth. (A majority of Danes do not believe in God, and few go to church, and if they do, it’s only for special occasions.) Denmark presents us with a puzzle: How did Danish society lose its religion so dramatically and so quickly? And how do the Danes keep the wheels of cooperation going without God? — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 552

Categorization

• DEFINE: Establishes the core puzzle case (high-trust, low-religion Denmark) that Big Gods theory must explain.