Greater Differences Between the Religious and the Unaffiliated with Advanced Secularization: Comparison Between Western Regions

• In Event: 132 - Section on Sociology of Religion Paper Session. Religion in Global Perspective

Abstract

Increases in rates of religious non-affiliation have been a trend found in most contemporary Western countries, although the periods and speeds of these increases have not been uniform. Consequently, some nations are now characterized by larger unaffiliated groups, such as Great Britain, and others by much smaller ones, such as the US. However, there is still debate in the field of sociology of religion surrounding how more personal religious indicators have evolved parallel to this decline of institutional religion. This paper tests opposing hypotheses on the subject, derived from three distinct theoretical frameworks: individualization theory, stages of religious decline theory, and polarization theory. Data from over 180 North American, European and Oceanic country sub-regions included in the 2008 International Social Survey Programme are employed to this effect. Using multi-level modeling techniques, we find that, in areas where the unaffiliated form a larger proportion of the overall population, the differences between the actively religious and the unaffiliated in religious beliefs and personal religiosity are significantly greater. This is due especially to levels of religious beliefs and personal religiosity being lower among the unaffiliated in such areas, supporting the stages of decline framework.

Author

• Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme, University of Oxford