The report, released just before Italy's first Synodal Assembly, highlights a shifting landscape in Italy's religious practices and challenges for the Catholic Church.

Growing individualism

Of those identifying as Catholic, only 15.3% attend church regularly, while 34.9% participate occasionally and 20.9% say they are "practising".

This trend is particularly stark among younger Italians, with just 10.9% of 18-34 year-olds practising their faith.

The report points to "religious individualism" as a key factor, with 56.1% of those disengaged from the Church and citing a preference for private, personal expressions of faith.

Giuseppe De Rita, president of Censis, says "The grey area in the Church of today is the result of the prevailing individualism of course, but also of a Church that struggles to indicate a beyond.

"The Church has always helped Italian society to go beyond.

"It must rediscover this capacity, because a Church which is only horizontal does not intercept those drunk with individualism. For them, it is not enough to replace ‘I' with a ‘we'. They need something beyond, something that takes them past the self.

"It is no coincidence—and this should concern us as Catholics—that extremisms are on the rise globally."

Old-fashioned Church needs to adapt

The report identifies disconnects between younger Catholics and traditional church practices.

Almost 58% of young Italians claim some connection to Catholicism, yet many express disinterest in conventional participation.

Among practising Catholics, 60.8% believe the Church needs to adapt to contemporary society, a sentiment reflecting broader cultural shifts.

Research also suggests concerns over the Church's relevance, with many viewing it as "too old-fashioned".

Among those who feel disconnected, 45.1% say the Church is outdated while 27.8% cite a lack of clear direction.

Additionally, 43.6% of Italians view the Church as male-dominated, with women's roles a noted point of contention.

Abuse scandals impact Church credibility

Abuse allegations within the Church have further affected public perception, with 7 in 10 Italians, including 6 in 10 practising Catholics, stating that these scandals undermine the Church's credibility.

Many see the Church's slow response to modern issues as another reason for disengagement.

"The desire for a more courageous Church is evident" the study notes, as 49.2% of Italians call for a stronger lay involvement. This finding aligns with a broader push for the Church to be more inclusive and transparent.

Faith remains integral to Italy's cultural identity

Despite these challenges, 79.8% of Italians say their cultural roots are Catholic. 66% pray and 61.4% consider Catholicism central to Italy's national identity.

Religious symbols like the cross and figures such as the Virgin Mary remain significant for many Italians, even among non-believers.

As the Italian Bishops' Conference prepares for the Synodal Assembly which will host delegates from across Italy, the study emphasises a crucial challenge: how to modernise the Church while preserving its role in Italy's spiritual and cultural life.

Source

• Avvenire

This is true even among groups that oppose same-sex marriage.

One place they disagree is over whether businesses — such as cake bakers or other vendors — ever have the right to refuse service. On that issue, Americans are split along religious and party lines.

Meanwhile, almost half of LGBTQ Americans are young and claim no religion.

Those are among the findings of a new report on polarization and LGBTQ rights from the Washington, D.C.-based Public Religion Research Institute. The report, based on data from PRRI's 2022 American Values Atlas, looked at the views of 22,984 adults living in all 50 states.

PRRI's researchers found that about 10% of Americans overall — almost half (46%) of them under the age of 30 — identify as LGBTQ: 3% as gay or lesbian, 4% as bisexual and 2% as something else. Nearly one-quarter of Americans under 30 identify as LGBTQ (23%).

According to the report, LGBTQ Americans are more likely to have no religious affiliation (50%) than Americans in general (26%). They are also much more likely to be Democrats (48%) than Republicans (8%).

Among non-Christian Americans, about 1 in 5 identify as LGBTQ, according to the report.

"This includes 19% of Unitarian Universalists, 19% of the religiously unaffiliated, 15% of Buddhists, 11% of Jews, 9% of Muslims, 5% of Hindus, and 32% of members of other non-Christian religions," according to the report. "Members of Christian religious traditions are less likely to identify as LGBTQ, with the exception of Hispanic Protestants (12%)."

Researchers from PRRI found that most religious groups, from 92% of Unitarian Universalists to 62% of white evangelical Protestants, support anti-discrimination laws. This includes Jews (86%), Hispanic Catholics (86%), Black Protestants (79%), Latter-day Saints (78%), Hindus (76%) and Hispanic Protestants (62%). Jehovah's Witnesses (50%) are the religious group least likely to support such laws.

When it comes to views of small businesses that want to refuse to provide products or services to lesbian or gay people, faith groups were more divided. Unitarian Universalists (88%), Hispanic Catholics (78%), Hindus (77%) and people of other non-Christian faiths (77%) were most likely to oppose the idea of refusing service. White evangelical Protestants (37%), Latter-day Saints (46%), Jehovah's Witnesses (50%) and Orthodox Christians (51%) were less likely.

The PRRI's report found a wide variation in views along political lines. Ninety percent of Democrats said they favor nondiscrimination laws that protect LGBTQ people in jobs, public accommodations and housing. Fewer Republicans (66%) favour such laws.

Democrats are twice as likely to oppose rules that allow small businesses to refuse service to gays or lesbians (86% compared with 41% of Republicans).

"Nationally, PRRI continues to find that most Americans broadly support LGBTQ rights in 2022," said Melissa Deckman, CEO of PRRI. "At the same time, partisan polarization is growing on some measures, including on religiously based refusals of service to LGBTQ Americans by business owners."

Deckman noted that these differences are striking amid the current politicization of issues involving LGBTQ rights and with a major ruling expected from the U.S. Supreme Court this term in regard to religious refusals by business owners.

In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Colorado baker Jack Phillips, who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple; the court said the Colorado Civil Rights Commission mishandled the case. Phillips lost a state court appeal earlier this year on a different case concerning his refusal to make a cake for a transgender customer.

The court is currently considering the case of Lorie Smith, a graphic designer who wants to expand her business to make websites for weddings but said she would not make websites for same-sex weddings. Smith's attorneys have argued that making a website is an exercise of free speech.

Researchers at PRRI also found continued disagreement among religious groups over same-sex marriage. Jews (81%), Buddhists (77%), white mainline Protestants (77%), and both white and Hispanic Catholics (75%) are among the most likely to support same-sex marriage. Jehovah's Witnesses (19%), white evangelical Protestants (38%), Hispanic Protestants (43%) and Latter-day Saints (50%) are less likely.

Despite the opposition to same-sex marriage among Latter-day Saints, leaders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints played a key role in supporting the Respect for Marriage Act, which was signed by President Joe Biden in late 2022. The law provided federal recognition of both same-sex marriage and interracial marriage — both of which had been previously made legal by court decisions.

• Republished with permission of Religion News Service

Over the coming weeks in schools, churches, high streets, and venues across this country, the Christmas story that began with Mary and Joseph's journey for a census will be enjoyed and celebrated by millions of people.

But of what story are we a part?

What story do we want to tell about ourselves?

The UK census gives us a particular and important snapshot of the identity of our nation, decade by decade.

Interpreting the story of trends, values, perceptions, and identities that underlies these snapshots is complicated, however.

Some commentators have responded to the census data about religious affiliation released last week by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) by predicting the terminal decline of Christianity in our nation or declaring this as a statistical watershed moment.

I am interested in the overall story that this census snapshot informs. Christians should approach this data with humility, attentiveness, and self-reflection.

Though the most common response to the voluntary question of religious affiliation remains "Christian," there was a 13.1 percentage decrease from 2011 to 2021.

The ONS clarifies that these figures are about "the religion with which [respondents] connect or identify, rather than their beliefs or active religious practice."

I do not find the trend in the responses to this particular question surprising: we have left behind the time when many people almost automatically identified as Christian.

Yet the story of the relationship between the identity expressed on our census forms and our engagement with faith is far from straightforward.

There are fewer people in the pews on a typical Sunday morning than a few decades ago, but at the same time, some of our churches - of all traditions and styles - are growing significantly, and we are also seeing people coming to faith in Jesus Christ, to whom the idea of joining a weekly service would not necessarily occur.

These apparently contrasting statistical snapshots inform a more complicated, though the incomplete story, which is not one of terminal decline for religious faith nor Christianity, but more about how individuals in our ever-changing nation and culture choose to express their identity.

This is a story on which other Christians and I must reflect carefully and humbly.

For Christians, however, the story that defines our identity has never been one of overwhelming numerical growth nor fear of extinction. Amid the complexities of identity, values and nation, Christians strive to live by the story of the Good News of Jesus Christ - a story notable for the absence of success by the world's usual standards.

A watershed moment in that story happened when "Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world." The events that then unfolded will be shared by millions of people in the UK this Christmas.

They will hear the baby Jesus described as a light that shines in the darkness. His story is not a tale of linear success but about how that light shines through the difficult realities of our lives and finally overcomes all darkness. Continue reading

Other parts of the UK - Scotland and Northern Ireland - report their census results separately.

This is the first time the official religion of England and Wales - Christianity - has been followed by a minority population.

By contrast to the declining Christian population, the Muslim population has shown a 'rapid' rise.

According to the data, the Muslim population in the UK stands at 3.9 million. It grew from 4.9 percent to 6.5 percent during the last decade.

The Hindu population is also sizeable.

The census data shows there are a million Hindus, more Buddhists than Jews and - as noted - 13.1 percent fewer Christians than in 2011.

One in every three people said that they had 'no religion'.

The statistics show the past decade has wrought significant changes in religious affiliation in England and Wales.

While 46.2 percent of the population described themselves as Christian on the day of the 2021 census, 59.3 percent described themselves as Christian a decade earlier.

The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said the figures were "not a great surprise".

This development "still throws down a challenge to us not only to trust that God will build his kingdom on Earth but also play our part in making Christ known," he added.

"We have left behind the era when many people almost automatically identified as Christian but other surveys show how the same people still seek spiritual truth and wisdom and a set of values to live by."

Secularism campaigners said the shift should trigger a rethink of the way religion is entrenched in British society.

The UK has state-funded Church of England schools, Anglican bishops sit in Parliament's upper chamber and the monarch is "defender of the faith" and supreme governor of the Church of England.

Andrew Copson, chief executive of the charity Humanists UK, said "the dramatic growth of the non-religious" had made the UK "almost certainly one of the least religious countries on Earth."

Source

• The Tablet
• Times Now
• AP News

They have conceded that one in six people did not complete the census, which was run online for the first time.

The data, therefore, may be understated.

The raw data is somewhat confusing for those who are not versed in the art of interpreting statistics

At first sight, it appears that the number of "Roman" Catholics has decreased from 492,105 in 2013 to 295,743, a decrease of 196,262!

That represents an almost 40% decrease in the number of Catholics in New Zealand over five years.

However, further examination reveals two more "Catholic " categories, Catholic (Not Further Defined) 173,016, and Catholic Other 2271.

If these figures are added to the Roman Catholic ones, the total comes to 471,030. A decrease of 21,075 or just over 4%.

Until the experts provide further interpretation it is unclear just how many Catholics, Roman or otherwise, there are in New Zealand.

Other statistics raised questions.

The Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki has labelled the census results as "ludicrous" and "laughable".

According to the census data, his church has 1772 adherents, far below what Tamaki says is more than 6000 active members.

It also puts it below both The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (4248 believers) and Jedi (20,409 believers).

"Most of us, including myself, will have put down Christian or Pentecostal. Even I wasn't counted in the 2018 Census as a Destiny Church member!" Tamaki said in a statement on Tuesday.

"We are a predominantly Maori church and the census utterly and totally failed Maori, which The Spinoff and its ilk conveniently forget.

They even had City Impact Church, a majority Pakeha church, down as only having 441 members which is ludicrous. It's laughable."

The Church of Scientology opened a $16 million base in Auckland in 2017.

It appears to have just three new followers. The census recorded 321 Scientologists in 2018, up from 318 in 2013.

Sources

• Supplied
• newshub.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• Image: wn.catholic.org.nz

He said this is happening across all ethnicities.

Dunn said that while it was affecting all parishes, many were not aware it was happening, because the churches were still full.

New New Zealanders are replacing are those drifting away.

Census data showed the Catholic religion was the largest Christian denomination in 2013.

Almost half a million (492,105) people identified as Catholic.

That figure was down by 16,332 (about 3.3 percent) from 2006.

Almost one third the total number were born overseas, predominantly in the Philippines, England and Samoa.

Dunn is calling this trend "kiwi drift"

He said religion was no longer seen as a fundamental part of New Zealand culture.

He thinks 1960s propelled the separation from religion.

There was a change in society driven by television, student revolt, the sexual revolution and drugs.

Dunn says the trend is affecting every 'European' first-world country.

"I don't know what they'd call it in the USA, but there seems to be a developing disconnect in these cultures between Christianity and the mainstream culture."

Over the past 30 years, the number of New Zealand-born people attending church had been declining says Peter Lineham

He is a professor of history at Massey University.

"There's been dramatic declines in participation and involvement and adherence to all churches."

"It was slower to take effect in the Catholic Church."

Lineham agrees with Dunn that the trend is being masked by the new New Zealanders.

Migrants, he says tend to have a greater need for religion than those who have lived here for a long time.

He said there was no simple answer to the decline.

"The fact is that Kiwis in general dislike organisations, opt out of voluntary bodies, see relatively little use in organised religion."

"It's not that they've probably had any change in their level of believing in God, but they've certainly had a big change in their willingness to accept any organisational answer to those questions."

Lineham said as later generations of new migrants settled in New Zealand and became more westernised, they also might start attending church less.

Source

• radionz.co.nz
• Image: stuff.co.nz

In fact, 37 out of 100 people do not affiliate with any religion.

Religious affiliation was one of the 11 features surveyed.

This response is just one of the questions posed in an Ipsos MORI Perils of Perception survey.

The Ipsos Mori survey reveals the gap between perception about key features, and the reality for 33 countries, including New Zealand.

Try the quiz

The results show New Zealand is the least accurate of the developed countries (in the top five most ignorant).

South Koreans are the most accurate, followed by the Irish.

Perceptions in Asian countries such as China, Japan and South Korea are fairly accurate about the (relatively high) proportions of non-religious people in their country.

Most other countries hugely overestimate the proportion that are non-religious: the average guess across the countries is 37% when the actual average proportion is 18%.

This is particularly noticeable in India. The average guess 33%, when the true figure is under 1%.

Latin American countries such as Mexico, Brazil and Peru overestimate by 30, 27 and 25 points respectively.

In Russia there was an overestimation of 29 points.

Norway, Ireland and Serbia were all out by all out by 28 points.

Source

• nzherald.co.nz
• ipsos-mori.com
• Image: expertseniorplanning.com

The survey of 2,973 adults conducted this summer found people who say they are atheist, agnostic or "nothing in particular" grew by almost 5 percentage points since 2007, from 15.3 percent to 19.6 percent of the population.

The greatest shift toward "nothing in particular" apparently came from Protestants, who now make up 48 percent of the population, compared to 53 percent in 2007, the telephone study found.

"These are not necessarily nonbelievers," said Greg Smith, senior researcher for the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, at an Oct. 9 discussion on the study hosted by "Religion & Ethics Newsweekly," a PBS TV show. "They're just not associated with any faith in particular."

The religiously unaffiliated tend to be younger than the general public, the survey showed, with 35 percent between ages 18 and 29, and 37 percent ages 30-49. Of the general public, about 22 percent are between 18 and 29, and 35 percent between 30 and 49.

Kim Lawton, managing editor for "Religion & Ethics Newsweekly," said although the study shows that the vast majority of Americans still are affiliated with a faith, the report stands out for the rapid growth it shows in the unaffiliated segment. The program planned a three-week series on the study starting Oct. 12.

The study found declines since 2007 of 1 percent among those who say they are Catholic, 3 percent among white mainline churches, 2 percent among white evangelical churches and no change among black Protestants, Mormons or Orthodox. Those who said they identify with "another faith" grew over the five-year period, from 4 percent to 6 percent of the survey.

Only 2.4 percent of the unaffiliated category described themselves as atheist, and just 3.3 percent said they are agnostic. The majority in the category — 13.9 percent of the total survey — described themselves as nothing in particular.

Smith said the majority of those in the unaffiliated category say they believe in God and think of themselves as religious or spiritual. They are less likely to pray than the general public (58 percent pray daily and 21 percent do so weekly/monthly), but 42 percent of the unaffiliated category said they pray somewhat regularly (21 percent daily and 20 percent weekly/monthly).

Nor are the unaffiliated necessarily hostile toward religious institutions, Smith noted. But they're not searching for a religious home, either, he added. He said the growth in the number may in part be attributed to a societal change that has reduced the potential stigma of not belonging to any faith institution.

The survey report said that over the four-year study period, the self-reported level of attendance at religious services has changed relatively modestly, from 38 percent in 2007 to 37 percent in 2012 who say they attend services weekly. Twenty-seven percent in 2007 said they seldom or never attend services and 29 percent said so this year.

The study asked both the unaffiliated and those who said belong to a particular faith why they don't attend religious services more often. Among unaffiliated people, the most frequent answers related to disagreements with the church, such as: "don't agree with religion," "it's not necessary to attend church," or "my church isn't strict enough."

Sources

• Catholic News Service
• Pew Forum
• USA Today
• New York Times (Blog)
• Image: New York Times