A new poll conducted in April 2023 suggests that less than half of the population in France believes in the existence of God.
While 40% of the Spanish population identifies as atheist, agnostic or simply indifferent to religion. The figure rises to 57.9%among young adults aged 25 to 34 and to 60.3% among those aged 18 to 24.
The polling company Ifop-Fiducial asked: “Do you personally believe in God?” A majority of respondents (56%) answered “no”. If the outcome of this poll published on Good Friday is extensible to the whole population (only 1,006 people were polled), then France would have reached a turning point, since 56% said in 2011 they believed in God.
According to this survey, it is the 18-24 age group which believes in God the least (36% who do compare to 64% who do not). In the next age group (25-34), the number of those who consider themselves believers rises to 47%, a number higher than those aged 35-49 (38%) and those aged 50-64 (46%). Among those aged 65 or more, the number of those who say they believe in God is 50%.
The differences between women and men in this survey were indistinguishable.
Those who say they believe in God are more frequent among those in the “lower middle class” (48%), compared to the poorest (40%) and the richest households (40%).
Interestingly the belief in God was found to be stronger in the Paris area (59%)than in rural France (37%). The closest to the national average were middle-sized cities (43%).
It is important to note that the survey did not distinguish between Christians and adherents to other religions. Neither did it ask if those who consider themselves believers in God attend church services or express any other types of spiritual commitment.
According to another report, Secularism in Figures 2023, published by the Ferrer Guàrdia Foundation, Spain is becoming less and less religious.
The document shows that 40% of the Spanish population identifies as atheist, agnostic or simply indifferent to religion. The figure rises to 57.9%among young adults aged 25 to 34 and to 60.3% among those aged 18 to 24.
“Religious practice has declined considerably, especially after the pandemic”, the foundation says. Only 18.7% of respondents consider themselves to be practising believers”, while the majority of those who consider themselves believers say they are “non-practising”.
Less religion at school
The report also shows an increase in the number of students taking alternative activities to religious subjectsin both primary and secondary schools.
Four out of ten students do not take religion at school or high school. Catalonia and the Basque Country are the regions with the lowest demand for religious education, with around 60% of students choosing to take other subjects.
Furthermore, only 19.2% of students in Spain are enrolled in private denominational schools, the vast majority of which are Catholic. The regions with the highest percentage of students in Catholic schools are La Rioja, Castilla y León and the Basque Country.
More civil marriages
According to the report, the number of Spaniards who prefer a civil wedding also continues to increase. Specifically, eight out of ten.
However, the organisation also states that there has been an increase in the number of denominational marriages “once the health restrictions of Covid-19 have been overcome”, standing at 16.6%.
Due to the upcoming regional and municipal elections on 28 May, the foundation has issued a manifesto, along with the report, in which it calls to“guarantee freedom of conscience and equal treatment”.
Among other things, they propose the parties put an end to the tax exemption of the Catholic Church, to recover the property “unduly matriculated by the bishops” or “to promote equal treatment for all options of conscience”.
