Save

Is Secularization a Pervasive Trend in Europe?

The Effects of the Ideological and Denominational Divides in Europe 2002–2016

In: Journal of Religion in Europe
Authors:
Heiner Meulemann University of Cologne Institute for Sociology and Social Psychology Germany Cologne

Search for other papers by Heiner Meulemann in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3327-5492
and
Alexander W. Schmidt-Catran Goethe-Universität Frankfurt Institute for Sociology Germany Frankfurt

Search for other papers by Alexander W. Schmidt-Catran in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9485-6314
Download Citation Get Permissions

Access options

Get access to the full article by using one of the access options below.

Institutional Login

Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials

Login via Institution

Purchase

Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):

€36.93

Abstract

Between 2002 and 2016, church attendance and self-attributed religiosity declines linearly, if all countries included in the European Social Survey are taken together. This analysis differentiates within Europe between two ideological and three denominational divides. Two questions are examined. First, is secularization pervasive across these groups? Second, how pervasive does secularization remain as a macro-level trend, when cohort membership and other individual-level qualities are controlled for? We find that the trend in secularization is well-explained by cohort succession in Western as well as in Catholic and Protestant countries. In Eastern Orthodox countries, however, an increase in religiosity is observed, which cannot be explained by individual-level properties. We speculate that it is triggered by a coalition of national churches and political elites.

Content Metrics

All Time Past 365 days Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 737 230 36
Full Text Views 182 39 5
PDF Views & Downloads 278 87 12