Christianity has declined so significantly in Europe, that to be non-religious may now be considered the default. A new survey of young adults across Europe allows some insight into the situation
>The survey of 16- to 29-year-olds found the Czech Republic is the least religious country in Europe, with 91% of that age group saying they have no religious affiliation. Between 70% and 80% of young adults in Estonia, Sweden and the Netherlands also categorize themselves as non-religious.
>The most religious country is Poland, where 17% of young adults define themselves as non-religious, followed by Lithuania with 25%.
>In the Czech Republic, 70% said they never went to church or any other place of worship, and 80% said they never pray. In the UK, France, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands, between 56% and 60% said they never go to church, and between 63% and 66% said they never pray.
>Among those identifying as Catholic, there was wide variation in levels of commitment. More than 80% of young Poles say they are Catholic, with about half going to mass at least once a week. In Lithuania, where 70% of young adults say they are Catholic, only 5% go to mass weekly.
Muslims are on the verge of overtaking Anglicans
>In the UK, only 7% of young adults identify as Anglican, fewer than the 10% who categorize themselves as Catholic. Young Muslims, at 6%, are on the brink of overtaking those who consider themselves part of the country’s established church.
But as a whole, religion is dying in Europe
>"Religion was “moribund”, he said. “With some notable exceptions, young adults increasingly are not identifying with or practizing religion.” The trajectory was likely to become more marked. “Christianity as a default, as a norm, is gone, and probably gone for good – or at least for the next 100 years,”
Interestingly, Nations geographically close to each other often have very different levels of religiosity.
>But there were significant variations, he said. “Countries that are next door to one another, with similar cultural backgrounds and histories, have wildly different religious profiles."
http://archive.is/LfzZM
Chart of indentifying with religion
https://via.hypothes.is/https://interactive.guim.co.uk/charts/embed/mar/2018-03-20T16:19:17/embed.html
Chart of attending religious services
https://via.hypothes.is/https://interactive.guim.co.uk/charts/embed/mar/2018-03-20T16:33:55/embed.html
Chart of frequency of prayer
https://via.hypothes.is/https://interactive.guim.co.uk/charts/embed/mar/2018-03-20T16:34:37/embed.html
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