Religious intensity and beliefs in an urban context: the case of

ViennaMichaela Potančoková1,2 & Caroline

Berghammer1,3

Religion in Vienna: urban trends in a European context21st Nov 2014, Vienna

Religious change in urban context

• Larges cities tend to be more secular and religiously diverse

• City dwellers tend to be more secular due to– Compositional effects– Higher rationalisation, more open, liberal views– Looser social ties and less social control– More competing leisure opportunities

• Individualised forms and religious syncretism possibly more widespread in cities

General and specific objectives

General objective:Analyse changes in religious intensity among religious groups in Vienna and compare the situation to the other federal states

Specific objectives:(1) Compare levels and depict trends in religiosity in Vienna and the rest of Austria over

25 years (mid-1980s until 2010)(2) Investigate cohort trends in religious change(3) A typology based on a set of indicators of religious practice and belief(4) Analyse the interrelation between belonging, believing and practice

Our approach:Focus on comparisons between Roman Catholics and the UnaffiliatedStudy Austria where case numbers do not permit a distinction between Vienna/other federal analysis

Data

86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

ISSP

EVS

ESSAffiliation and religious service attendance

More items (frequency of praying, self-assessed religiosity, …)

21 surveys with information on religiosity and religious practice:17 waves of ISSP, 3 waves of EVS

Sample sizes for VIENNA: about 200 persons in ISSP, about 250 in EVS

Quality of Life in Vienna Survey 2012/2013 (Lebensqualität in Wien im 21. Jahrhundert)4244 respondents religious affiliation and self-assessed religiosity

Religious affiliation

VIENNA OTHER FEDERAL STATES

Unaffiliated Roman CatholicOther [including Muslims and Orthodox] Protestant

1981

1983

1985

1987

1989

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Perc

ent

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Data sources: Censuses 1981, 1991, 2001; ISSP 1986-2010

(1) Three-times higher share of Unaffiliated in Vienna throughout the period(2) Roman Catholics overrepresented in ISSP surveys

Regular religious service attendance declining

VIENNA OTHER FEDERAL STATES

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

% R

oman

Cat

holic

s atte

ndin

g

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Data sources: ISSP 1986-2010

At least monthlySeveral times a yearLess frequently/never

(1) Regular churchgoing declining in both Vienna and OFS(2) Very different – much lower – levels in Vienna

Cohort trends in Austria(1) Religious belonging declines over the life course(2) Church attendance weakens along cohort lines due to less religious

socialisation

15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 57 60 63 66 69 72 750

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1920-391940-591960-791980-94

% a

tten

ding

at l

east

mon

thly

%

affi

l-ia

ted

Birth cohort:

Data sources: ISSP 1986-2010

Mean age of the cohort

Cohort trends in religiosity, Vienna

1920-39 1940-59 1960-79 1980-941

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Not

relig

ious

Relig

ious

Vienna

Data source: Vienna survey 2012

(1) Self-assessed religiosity lower among younger persons across all religions(2) Roman Catholics and Protestants show very similar level and trends

Muslims

Roman Catholics

Protestants

Unaffiliated

Average scores:6.3 Muslims5.1 Orthodox4.9 Catholics4.7 Protestants

Trends in frequency of praying

1993 1999 2008 1993 1999 2008Vienna Other federal states

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

25 2719

38 37 32

14 1215

18 1919

19 21 29

24 2728

43 40 3720 17 21

NeverLess frequentlyMonthlyAt least weekly

Prop

ortio

n (%

)

Data sources: ISSP 1993, 1999, 2008

(1) Private religious practice rather stable throughout the period(2) Viennese pray less frequently

Religious types: Traditional religious

• All are religiously affiliated

• Attend church regularly, most of them weekly, and pray frequently

• The large majority grew up in a very religious parental home

• Sacraments important and believe in traditional Catholic concepts (sin, hell, heaven, afterlife)

• Tend to believe in a personal God and experience situations where God intervenes in their life.

• Religion is a source of comfort and strength for them.

1990 1999 2008 1990 1999 2008Vienna

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

7 6 7 9 9 12

Prop

ortio

n (%

)

Vienna Other federal states

Data sources: EVS 1990, 1999, 2008

Religious types: Religious

• All are religiously affiliated

• Regularly attend religious service and pray

• Theological beliefs are less traditional

• Majority believes in personal God, but 42% imagine the sacred as some sort of spirit or life force

• Agree that other religions also contain some truth

• Get as much comfort from religion as their traditional religious counterparts but experience fewer situations where God intervenes in their lives

1990 1999 2008 1990 1999 2008Vienna

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

7 6 7 9 9 1212 13

5

24 25 13

Prop

ortio

n (%

)

Vienna Other federal states

Data sources: EVS 1990, 1999, 2008

Religious types: Fuzzy

• Affiliated (89%), unaffiliated (11%) persons

• Religion was less important in their childhood, many describe their socialisation as rather religious or not very religious

• Believe more in a sort of spirit (61%) or life force than a personal God

• Have their own way of connecting with the divine

• Reject the idea of only one true religion

• Religion is much less central for them than in the two previous groups

1990 1999 2008 1990 1999 2008Vienna

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

7 6 7 9 9 1212 13

5

24 25 13

4757

63

55 54

54

Prop

ortio

n (%

)

Vienna Other federal states

Data sources: EVS 1990, 1999, 2008

Religious types: Non-religious

• Half and half of affiliated and unaffiliated persons

• Experienced a rather or not very religious upbringing

• God is not important in their lives and they do not pursue any religious practice

• 34% believes is some kind of spirit or live force, 43% does not believe in God/spirit/life force and 22% indifferent

• 75% never experienced a situation of God intervening on their lives

1990 1999 2008 1990 1999 2008Vienna

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

7 6 7 9 9 1212 13

5

24 25 13

4757

63

55 54

54

3423 26

12 1221

Prop

ortio

n (%

)

Vienna Other federal states

Data sources: EVS 1990, 1999, 2008

Belonging without believing: Nominal membership in Roman Catholic Church• In 2008 about 13% nominal members in Vienna and OFS

• Twice as many nominal members among younger cohorts

• Reasons: cultural tradition, ethnic identity, aspirational (conformity)

1990 1999 2008Vienna 19 15 12Other federal states 8 9 14Austria 10 10 13

1990 1999 2008Austria 1960-1989 17 13 18Austria 1920-1959 8 7 8

Data sources: EVS 1990, 1999, 2008

How religious are the unaffiliated in Austria?

• Believing without belonging (practicing religious) believe in a personal God or some sort of spirit or life force and take moments of prayer, meditation, or reflection

1990 1999 20080

102030405060708090

100

33 3526

Prop

ortio

n (%

)

- unaffiliated increased from about 10% to 15%

Data sources: EVS 1990, 1999, 2008

How religious are the unaffiliated in Austria?

1990 1999 20080

102030405060708090

100

33 3526

49 4444

Prop

ortio

n (%

)

• Passive believers either believe but do not practice or – less often – the other way around

• BWB (practicing religious) believe in a personal God or some sort of spirit or life force and take moments of prayer, meditation, or reflection

- unaffiliated increased from about 10% to 15%

Data sources: EVS 1990, 1999, 2008

How religious are the unaffiliated in Austria?

1990 1999 20080

102030405060708090

100

33 3526

49 4444

18 2130

Prop

ortio

n (%

)

• Secular group does not believe in God, a spirit, or life force and does not practice

• Passive believers either believe but do not practice or – less often – the other way around

• BWB (practicing religious) believe in a personal God or some sort of spirit or life force and take moments of prayer, meditation, or reflection

- unaffiliated increased from about 10% to 15%

Data sources: EVS 1990, 1999, 2008

Summary & conclusions• Religiosity differs strongly between Vienna and other federal states• Austria still predominantly Catholic, but tradition is eroding fast• Younger cohorts less religious among all religious groups• In Vienna Muslims the most religious group• The gap between religious membership and practice widens over

successive cohorts• Irregular churchgoing signals weaker embedment within the

religious community and is further leeway for leaving the church• Religious upbringing matters for keeping religiosity throughout life

course• Nominal church members not likely to raise children religiously• Further decline inevitable? Vienna a forerunner of the change in

the rest of Austria?

Summary & conclusions• Trends towards privatisation and individualisation of

religious practice and belief• Praying more stable but decline in frequent, regular praying• More than half of the population inconsistently religious:

• practices irregularly, • tends to believe in higher power instead of personal God, • has own way of connecting with divine and • is open to other religious traditions

• Only a shrinking minority of the unaffiliated believes without belonging and the share of non-religious is increasing

QUESTIONS, COMMENTS…

Book chapter forthcoming in Lukas Pokorny & Gerald Hoedl (2014, eds.): Religion in Austria, Volume 2. Praesens Verlag

michaela.potancokova@oeaw.ac.atcaroline.berghammer@univie.ac.at

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

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Roman CatholicLinear (Roman Catholic)ProtestantLinear (Protestant)OtherLinear (Other)UnaffiliatedLinear (Unaffiliated)Roman CatholicProtestantOtherUnaffiliatedRoman CatholicProtestantOtherUnaffiliated