The Library

Changing patterns of religious affiliation, church attendance and marriage across five areas of Europe since the early 1980s: trends and associations

Tools

Williams, Emyr, Francis, Leslie J. and Village, Andrew. (2009) Changing patterns of religious affiliation, church attendance and marriage across five areas of Europe since the early 1980s: trends and associations. Journal of Beliefs and Values, Vol.30 (No.2). pp. 173-182. ISSN 1361-7672

PDF
WRAP_Francis_trends_and_associations.pdf - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
Download (181Kb)

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13617670903175113

Abstract

This study draws on three waves of the European Values Survey (conducted between 1981 and 1984, between 1989 and 1993, and between 1999 and 2004) across five countries for which full data are available (Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Spain, and Sweden) in order to address five research questions. Question one examined changes in religious affiliation. Across all five countries, the proportions of the non-affiliated increased. Question two examined changes in church attendance. Across all five countries, the proportions of the non-attenders increased. Question three examined changes in marital status. Across all five countries the proportions of the population checking the category 'married' declined, although in Spain the decline was marginal. Question four examined the association between religious affiliation and being married. The religious affiliated were more likely to be married than the non-affiliated. Question five examined the association between church attendance and being married. Weekly attenders were more likely to be married than the non-attenders. Overall these data support the close association between religion and marriage across five European countries (where there are very different religious climates) and support the hypothesis that changing religious values and changing family values go hand-in-hand.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BV Practical Theology
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Institute of Education
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	World Values Survey, Marriage -- Europe, Religious adherents -- Europe, Church attendance -- Europe, Secularism -- Europe
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of Beliefs and Values
Publisher:	Routledge
ISSN:	1361-7672
Date:	August 2009
Volume:	Vol.30
Number:	No.2
Page Range:	pp. 173-182
Identification Number:	10.1080/13617670903175113
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
References:	Bahr, H.M., & Chadwick, B.A. (1985). Religion and family in Middletown, USA. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 47, 407-414. Berrington, A., & Diamond, I. (1999). Marital dissolution among the 1958 British birth cohort: The role of cohabitation. Population Studies, 53, 19-38. Browning, D.S., Green, M.C., & Witte, J. (eds) (2006). Sex, marriage and family in world religions. New York: Columbia University Press. Chatters, L.M., Taylor, R.J., & Lincoln, K.D. (1999). African American religious participation: A multi-sample comparison. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 38, 132-145. DeMars, A., & Leslie, G.R. (1984). Cohabitation with the future spouse: Its influence upon marital satisfaction and communication. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 46, 77-84. Dempsey, K., & de Vaus, D. (2004). Who cohabits in 2001? The significance of age, gender, religion and ethnicity. Journal of Sociology, 40, 157-178. Francis, L.J., Williams, E., & Village, A. (under review). Multifaith Britain and family life: changing patterns of marriage, cohabitation and divorce among different faith groups between 1983 and 2005. Halman, L. (2001). The European Values Study: A third wave. WORC: Tilburg University. de Graaf, P.M., & Kalmijn, M. (2006). Change and stability in the social determinants of divorce: A comparison of marriage cohorts in the Netherlands. European Sociological Review, 22, 561-572. Jowell, R. (1984). Introducing the survey. In R. Jowell and C Airey (eds), British Social Attitudes: The 1984 report (pp. 1-10). Adershot: Gower. Lehrer, E.L. (2004). The role of religion in union formation: an economic perspective. Population Research and Policy Review, 23, 161-185. Maselko, J., & Buka, S. (2008). Religious activity and lifetime prevalence of psychiatric disorder. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 43, 18-24. Pearce, L.D., & Thornton, A. (2007). Religious identity and family ideologies in the transition to adulthood. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69, 1227-1243. Petrowsky, M. (1976). Marital status, sex, and the social networks of the elderly. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 38, 749-756. Self, A.. & Zealey, L. (2008). Social Trends: Number 38. London: Office of National Statistics. Stolzenberg, R.M., Blair-Loy, M., & Waite, L.J. (1995). Religious participation in early adulthood: Age and family life cycle effects on church membership. American Sociological Review, 60, 84-103. Thornton, A., Axinn, W.G., & Hill, D.H. (1992). Reciprocal effects of religiosity, cohabitation, and marriage. American Journal of Sociology, 98, 628-651. Village, A., Williams, E., & Francis, L.J. (under review a). Living in sin? Religion, marital solidarity and cohabitation in Britain, 1985-2005. Village, A., Williams, E., & Francis, L.J. (under review b). Does religion make a difference? Assessing the effects of Christian affiliation and practice on marital solidarity and divorce in Britain, 1985-2005. Wilcox, W.B., & Wolfinger, N.H. (2007). Then comes marriage? Religion, race, and marriage in urban America. Social Science Research, 36, 569-589. Williams, E., & Francis, L.J. (in press). Marriage, cohabitation and divorce: the social significance of religion and the changing context of family life in Britain 1983- 2005. In H-G. Ziebertz and L.J. Francis (eds), The Public Significance of Religion. Leiden: Brill. Zimmermann, A.C., & Easterlin, R.A. (2006). Happily ever after? Cohabitation, marriage, divorce, and happiness in Germany. Population and Development Review, 32, 511-528.
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/2919