Religious Change in Europe: Theoretical Considerations and Empirical Findings

Abstract

The author describes the changes in church adherence and personal religiosity in European societies. In order to understand these changes, different theoretical models are available: the economic market model, the thesis of individualization, and the theory of secularization. A distinction between different dimensions of religion is used for discussing the applicability of these theoretical models on the process of religious change in European societies. As a result, the author states that the secularization thesis and the individualization theory are the most appropriate approaches in describing the religious changes in Europe. Despite much ado about the revival of religion during recent years, in the long run religions and churches have lost in social significance in European societies. The emergence of new religious groups and of individualistic forms of syncretistic religiosity is not able to compensate for the losses of the churches and the traditional religious forms.

Religious Change and Secularisation in Scotland: An Analysis of Affiliation and Attendance

“…Scotland and England, on the basis of levels of affiliation and attendance, are certainly not particularly religious countries and have some secularising features in common. Scotland and England do not simply resemble each other, however: the trends documented in these two countries of course fit within a wider pattern of ongoing secularisation within many western European countries (Norris and Inglehart, 2011;Pollack, 2008;Halman and Draulans, 2006). Finally, the contemporary socio-demographic profiles both reaffirmed in the Scottish context the long-established associations between women, older age and religiosity, and also probed and found clear confirmation for, Bruce's identification of older women as one of the primary 'carriers' of religion in Scotland (2014a).…”

Does religiosity explain economic outcomes?

“…There are several theories that can explain the patterns of religiosity in Europe [2]. These include "secularization theory," "economic market theory," and "religious individualization theory."…”

The Transformation of a Categorical Variable into a Continuous Variable: The Example of Church Attendance

“…Čtenář se setkává s četnostmi návštěv bohoslužeb redukovanými do dichotomických proměnných například alespoň jednou týdně a méně [Polack 2008;Ruiter, van Tubergen 2009], více než jednou měsíčně a méně [Need, Evans 2001], alespoň jednou měsíčně a méně [Lambert 2004]. Také s redukcí do tří či čtyř kategorií, alespoň jednou měsíčně, méně a nikdy [Hamplová, Řeháková 2009], 2krát měsíčně a častěji, několikrát ročně, nanejvýš 1krát ročně a nikdy [Nešpor 2010: 62].…”