I think most christian countries did away with young earth beliefs many years ago.

even before Darwin, the idea of evolution was pretty much accepted even by the church. Darwin's work was not at first accepted because it took out the need for any mysticism

The US is a more protestant country on the whole. maybe the vatican had a point prior to the protestant movement about not letting ordinary people read the bible. they may well have realised it was so far from any sort of realitry there was a real danger that people were credulous enough to take it litterally. a few hundred years later and here we are with a rich, powerful country populated with so many idiots.

most people in the US have access to good education but I wonder if living in such a rich country, the benefits are taken for granted? when education is on tap do parents decide they know better and can home-school or just pick and choose which lessons their kids attend on the assumption it makes no difference in the long run?

take a poorer nation and education is considered importat and vital if you want to change your social standing, in the US it's not the poorest who subscribe to this type of religion, it's middle class right-wing types who not only don't need social mobility but would rather there was none. a young earth philosophy means not having to consider the warnings of science, bury ones head in the sand and use political muscle to avoid having to change their views to accomodate others.

in short, poorer nations want change, rich ones don't