Ingrid Storm

Ethnic nominalism and civic religiosity: Christianity and national identity in Britain

The relationship between religion and national identity is a contested topic in public debates about cultural diversity and immigration. In sample surveys only a minority the British population identify themselves as belonging to a Christian religion, and far fewer practise their faith. Nevertheless, nearly a quarter of the population think it is important to be Christian to be truly British. This study explores the complex relationships between religious and national identities in Britain, using data from the 2008 British Social Attitudes Survey. Three different forms of national identity were identified through factor analysis: civic-symbolic, cultural-aesthetic and ethnic national identity. Ethnic national identity is the only dimension of national identity that is positively associated with thinking it is important to be Christian to be British. While churchgoing Christians are more likely to feel national in response to secular cultural symbols, they are less likely to associate religion with nationality than those with a nominal Christian affiliation. The results indicate that Christianity has cultural significance for national identity primarily as a proxy for ethnic identity.

Is ethnic prejudice declining in Britain? Change in social distance attitudes among ethnic majority and minority Britons

Most literature on racial prejudice deals with the racial attitudes of the ethnic majority and ethnic minorities separately. This paper breaks this tradition. We examine the social distance attitudes of white and non-white British residents to test if these attitudes follow the same trends over time, whether they are driven by the same social processes and whether they are inter-related. We have three main findings. Firstly, social distance from other ethnic groups has declined over time for both white and ethnic minority Britons. For the white majority there are both period and cohort elements to this decline. Secondly, we see some evidence that social distance between the majority and minority groups is reciprocal. Specifically, minorities who experience rejection by the white British feel a greater sense of distance from them. Thirdly, we find that all groups share the perception of the same ethnic hierarchy. We see evidence of particularly widespread hostility towards Muslim Britons from all ethnic groups suggesting that Muslims are singled out for negative attention from many British residents of all other backgrounds, including a large number who do not express hostility to other groups.

Morality in context: A multilevel analysis of the relationship between religion and values in Europe

The exact relationship between religiosity and moral values is understudied, and it is unclear what the process of secularization means for the morality of Europeans. Previous research shows that religion is associated with low levels of political and economic development. A potential explanation is that religion provides an alternative moral authority to the authority of the state. Using data from four waves of the European Values Study (EVS) 1981-2008, I analyze attitudes to personal autonomy (vs tradition) and self-interest (vs social norms) in a multilevel model of 48 European countries. The results show that religious decline has been accompanied by an increase in autonomy values, but not self-interest, that the relationship between religion and morality is stronger in more religious countries, and that it has declined since the 1980s. We also show that religiosity is more negatively associated with self-interest among people with low confidence in state authorities.

Religion, Inclusive Individualism, and Volunteering in Europe

Abstract A well supported finding in social science is that religiosity is associated with pro-social behaviours such as volunteering, but the religious decline in Europe characterising the latter part of the twentieth century has not been accompanied by decline in voluntary participation. This period is also associated with a sharp increase in the moral emphasis on individual autonomy and inclusiveness over social norms and traditions. In this analysis of the European Values Study (2008–2010), I examine the relationship between religion and volunteering, taking both individual values and aggregate norms into account. Religious attendance is found to be associated with volunteering at the individual level. However, the average citizen’s likelihood of volunteering is lower in more religious countries. This could be due in part to secular countries’ high levels of inclusive individualism (autonomy values and generalised trust) which are positively associated with volunteering among both religious and non-religious respondents.

When does Religiosity matter for Attitudes to Immigration? The impact of economic insecurity and religious norms in Europe

ABSTRACT Religious identity and practice has been associated with attitudes to immigration in Europe, but it is not known how this relationship varies between different cultural and economic contexts. Analysing data from seven waves of the European Social Survey (ESS) 2002–2014 we examine the association cross-nationally and over time, in what was a financially unstable period for many European countries and households. We have two main findings. Firstly, it is not religion per se, but rather conformity to national rates of religiosity which is associated with concern about the economic and cultural consequences of immigration. Secondly, the association between religion and anti-immigration is strengthened in contexts of economic uncertainty. These findings suggest that while religion does not predict immigration attitudes uniformly across countries, when religion reflects cultural conformity, it could become an expression national or ethnic group identity in times of economic insecurity.

Does security increase secularity?: Evidence from the British Household Panel Survey on the relationship between income and religious service attendance

Material security has been associated with lower religious attendance both between and within countries and has been proposed as one of the mechanisms causing long term religious decline in economically developed countries. Using a British panel study, this article examines (a) whether change to household incomes can incite individual religious change and (b) whether religion can buffer against the stress of economic loss.The main trend in Britain is that of religious stability or decline, and income change does nothing to reverse this trend. Increases in household income are associated with religious disengagement, but income reduction has no effect on religious attendance. However, religious activity may still act as a ‘buffer’ by improving and maintaining life satisfaction in the face of economic loss.

Secular Values, Religious Beliefs and Civil Life: A Comparative Analysis of Helping Values and Behaviour

Help and helping is vital to the functioning of civil society. In this chapter we consider the extent to which religion is associated with people’s orientation to, and participation in, civil society and how religious populations compare with secular populations. Our analysis suggests that overall there is a gap amongst all populations in the extent to which it is seen as important to help other people and the extent to which people report actually helping in practice. People who attend religious services regularly are the most likely to state that they think helping other people is important and also to state that they actually help people in practice. The levels of civil involvement amongst secular populations, in the form of helping other people, are higher than those who belong to a religion but are not regular attenders of religious services. The roles that religious and secular populations can play in the culture of helping are an important research and policy focus.

Säkulares Christentum als nationale Identität: Religion und Anti-Immigrationseinstellungen in vier westeuropäischen Ländern

Trotz eines allgemeinen Ruckgangs des religiosen Glaubens und der religiosen Praxis in Europa sind in den aktuellen offentlichen Debatten uber Immigration und Integration zunehmend Fragen nach dem nationalen religiosen Erbe aufgekommen. Unter Verwendung von Daten des International Social Survey Programme (Religion III module) von 2008 und der British Faith Matters Umfrage (2008) untersucht die hier prasentierte Studie die Verbindungen zwischen individueller Religiositat und den Haltungen zur Immigration in vier westeuropaischen Landern: Grosbritannien, den Niederlanden, Irland und Danemark. Die multivariate Analyse zeigt gegensatzliche Verbindungen auf. Die Identifikation mit dem Christentum erhoht die Wahrscheinlichkeit, Immigration fur eine Bedrohung der nationalen Identitat zu halten, wohingegen regelmasiger Kirchgang diesen Effekt vermindert.

Säkulares Christentum als nationale Identität

Trotz eines allgemeinen Ruckgangs des religiosen Glaubens und der religiosen Praxis in Europa sind in den aktuellen offentlichen Debatten uber Immigration und Integration zunehmend Fragen nach dem nationalen religiosen Erbe aufgekommen. Unter Verwendung von Daten des International Social Survey Programme (Religion III module) von 2008 und der British Faith Matters Umfrage (2008) untersucht die hier prasentierte Studie die Verbindungen zwischen individueller Religiositat und den Haltungen zur Immigration in vier westeuropaischen Landern: Grosbritannien, den Niederlanden, Irland und Danemark. Die multivariate Analyse zeigt gegensatzliche Verbindungen auf. Die Identifikation mit dem Christentum erhoht die Wahrscheinlichkeit, Immigration fur eine Bedrohung der nationalen Identitat zu halten, wohingegen regelmasiger Kirchgang diesen Effekt vermindert.