Religiosity Decline in Europe: Age, Generation, and the Mediating Role of Shifting Human Values

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cris.lastimport.scopus2025-08-30T03:10:48Z
dc.abstract.enDespite the fact that age is associated with higher religiosity, the aging European population has experienced a noticeable religiosity decline over recent decades. This study aimed to explain this paradox and to link it to an intergenerational shift in the pattern of values (as conceptualized by Shalom Schwartz). We conducted extended mediation analyses on the relationships between generational afliation and the level of personal religiosity via human values in two studies (European Social Survey round 7, N=29,775; and European Social Survey rounds 1–9, N=224,314). Our results confrm a pronounced trend of religiosity decline and explain this process by changes in personal values. In particular, Europe’s generational increase in openness to change values explains religiosity decline above and beyond the efect of people’s developmental age. We conclude that the perspective of human values provides a signifcant rationale for further research on religiosity, in relation to both past and future generations of Europeans.
dc.affiliationInstytut Psychologii
dc.contributor.authorMaciej Koscielniak
dc.contributor.authorAgnieszka Bojanowska
dc.contributor.authorAgata Gasiorowska
dc.date.access2024-05-11
dc.date.accessioned2024-05-11T11:17:30Z
dc.date.available2024-05-11T11:17:30Z
dc.date.created2022-08-22
dc.date.issued2022-09-23
dc.description.abstract<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Despite the fact that age is associated with higher religiosity, the aging European population has experienced a noticeable religiosity decline over recent decades. This study aimed to explain this paradox and to link it to an intergenerational shift in the pattern of values (as conceptualized by Shalom Schwartz). We conducted extended mediation analyses on the relationships between generational affiliation and the level of personal religiosity via human values in two studies (European Social Survey round 7, <jats:italic>N</jats:italic> = 29,775; and European Social Survey rounds 1–9, <jats:italic>N</jats:italic> = 224,314). Our results confirm a pronounced trend of religiosity decline and explain this process by changes in personal values. In particular, Europe's generational increase in openness to change values explains religiosity decline above and beyond the effect of people’s developmental age. We conclude that the perspective of human values provides a significant rationale for further research on religiosity, in relation to both past and future generations of Europeans.</jats:p>
dc.description.accesstimeafter_publication
dc.description.grantnumber2017/26/D/HS6/00439
dc.description.granttitleCzy pewne wartości sprzyjają szczęściu? Systemy wartości, zaangażowanie w działanie i poczucie skuteczności a dobrostan hedonistyczny i eudajmonistyczny
dc.description.issue2
dc.description.physical1091–1116
dc.description.versionfinal_published
dc.description.volume63
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s10943-022-01670-x
dc.identifier.issn0022-4197
dc.identifier.issn1573-6571
dc.identifier.urihttps://share.swps.edu.pl/handle/swps/660
dc.languageen
dc.pbn.affiliationpsychologia
dc.rightsCC-BY
dc.rights.questionYes_rights
dc.share.articleOPEN_JOURNAL
dc.subject.enReligiosity
dc.subject.enHuman values
dc.subject.enGenerations
dc.subject.enAge
dc.swps.sciencecloudnosend
dc.titleReligiosity Decline in Europe: Age, Generation, and the Mediating Role of Shifting Human Values
dc.title.journalJournal of Religion and Health
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typeArticle