Western Europeans tend to see themselves as neither religious nor spiritual

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May 20, 2024

5. Attitudes toward spirituality and religion

Western Europeans tend to see themselves as neither religious nor spiritual

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Western Europeans tend to see themselves as neither religious nor spiritual

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5. Attitudes toward spirituality and religion
People who say they are ‘spiritual but not religious’ largely reject biblical God, but believe in higher power of some kind
‘Spiritual but not religious’ label most common among ‘nones’ who say they believe in God or a higher power
Majorities in most Western Europeans countries believe they have a soul
Religious and/or spiritual people say they have a soul
In Western Europe, no consensus about spiritual concepts
Religiously unaffiliated Europeans who believe in a higher power are more likely to embrace other spiritual ideas
On balance, fewer than half express positive or negative sentiments about religion
People who say they are not religious do not necessarily view religion as harmful
Half of Swedes view religion more negatively than positively
Religiously unaffiliated Europeans have predominantly negative view of religion
Substantial minorities across Western Europe hold Eastern, New Age or folk beliefs
‘Spiritual but not religious’ Europeans more likely to believe in astrology, meditate
Religiously unaffiliated Europeans who believe in God or a higher power are more likely than other ‘nones’ to engage in alternative beliefs and practices
Western Europeans tend to see themselves as neither religious nor spiritual
Identifying as ‘religious’ or ‘spiritual’ is common in Portugal, but less so elsewhere in the region
Few people across Western Europe show high levels of engagement with alternative beliefs and practices

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ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It does not take policy positions. The Center conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, computational social science research and other data-driven research. Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder.

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5. Attitudes toward spirituality and religion

Western Europeans tend to see themselves as neither religious nor spiritual

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