Artikelen

'Losing my religion': een dynamische benadering

Auteurs

  • Need,Ariana
  • Graaf,Nan Dirk de

Trefwoorden:

SOCIAL aspects

Samenvatting

In this article we examined the influence of individual and contextual characteristics on the risk of leaving faith using life-event data of the 'Family survey 1992-1993'. Applying a discrete-time event history model, we analyzed the conditional probability of leaving faith as a function of individual characteristics (education, parental education, religious homogeneity of parents, religious homogamy, frequency of attending religious services, denomination) and contextual characteristics (level of modernization and secularization). The formative contextual characteristics represent cohort effects and the present contextual characteristics represent period effects. The advantages of this dynamic approach are that one is able to disentangle life-cycle, period, and cohort effects, and that one can model the causality adequately. The results show that education, parental education, low frequency of attending religious services during adolescence, and marrying a non-religious partner, increase the risk of leaving faith significantly. The impact of a low frequency of attending religious services during adolescence appeared to be a conditional effect: It only has an effect on the risk of leaving faith till the age of 18. With regard to the influence of education, it appears that till the level of higher secondary education (HAVO) each higher level of education gives a linear increase in the risk of leaving faith. However, beyond this level an even higher level of education does not increase the risk of leaving faith. Our results also show a non-linear life-cycle effect: People are more likely to leave their faith when they are in their late teens. Furthermore, our results suggest also a period effect: The current level of modernization increases the risk of leaving faith. It is therefore very likely that the process of secularization will go on in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]; Copyright of Mens en Maatschappij is the property of Amsterdam University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Biografieën auteurs

Need,Ariana

Graaf,Nan Dirk de

Gepubliceerd

1994-09-01

Nummer

Sectie

Artikelen