Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.5673/sip.54.3.4
The Pendulum is Still Swinging. Institutional Religiosity of Students in Rijeka
Željko Boneta
orcid.org/0000-0001-9665-1294
; Učiteljski fakultet u Rijeci, Rijeka, Hrvatska
Sažetak
The article analyzes institutional religiosity of students in Rijeka. It questions the claim that
the religiosity of young people in Croatia is stable and is becoming increasingly similar to
the religiosity of “adults.” The author’s analysis relies on the available data from the national
IDIZ (Institute for Social Research in Zagreb) research, and the research conducted in the first
half of 2015 on a sample of eight components of the University of Rijeka (N = 635). National
surveys conducted on young people in the last six years have indicated a stabilization of the
actual religiosity in the dimension of religious beliefs. However, at the same time, religious
self-identification and participation in religious ceremonies have been significantly declining.
Young people, especially students within this age group, are by far the least religious category
in the Croatian society.
Research conducted on a sample of students in Rijeka has shown a wide prevalence of traditional
religiosity, yet lower in comparison to the results on the national scale. Adherence to
religious practice is equally distributed throughout the sampled students in Rijeka, whereas
indicators of religious beliefs and religious self-identification are significantly lower than the
national average of their peers. Statistical analysis has shown that the socio-demographic
characteristics of participants (gender, size of their hometown, parents’ education and the
region of Croatia they are from) are linked to the indicators of actual religiousness in accordance
with the contextualized theory of secularization. Inconsistencies in identification,
behaviour and belief among students point to a “distanced ecclesiality” which involves a very
sporadic relationship between most respondents and the Church and for a non-negligible
part of them this connection has been, at least temporarily, cut off. The current instability of
institutionalized religiousness in young people and students can be explained by the swinging
pendulum, which, after having reached the religiousness peak at the beginning of this
century, is now going back to the center and, according to some indicators, even approaching
the non-religious position.
Ključne riječi
students; youth; church religiosity; traditional religiosity; current religiosity
Hrčak ID:
171453
URI
Datum izdavanja:
27.12.2016.
Posjeta: 2.083 *