Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme

Protestant and Catholic Distinctions in Secularization

Abstract Differences between Protestants and Catholics in religious beliefs and behavior are revisited in the light of growing theoretical and empirical evidence for stages of secularization and a remaining religious core in Western societies. To what extent are remaining Protestants more religious than before and compared with remaining Catholics? Analyzing repeated cross-sectional survey data from 1985 to 2012 in the US, Canada, and Great Britain, we find that, in most cases, Protestant affiliation has declined more significantly than Catholic affiliation. Yet, individuals who declare themselves as belonging to a Protestant denomination have higher rates of regular service attendance, prayer, and Christian beliefs than those previously. They have also surpassed these same rates among Catholics in both the US and Canada and are on track to do so in Britain in the coming years.

The Changing Religious Cleavage in Canadians' Voting Behaviour

Past studies have shown that religion plays an important role in voting behaviour in Canada. Yet, little is known about the changes this religious vote has undergone over the past few decades. Using Canadian Election Studies data, we analyze the evolving impact of religious affiliation and level of religiosity on vote choice in federal elections between 1965 and 2011. We find that, as the marginal impact of Catholic and mainline Protestant traditions has declined, the effect of level of religiosity has gained in importance. In 2011, religious citizens were overall more likely to vote Conservative and secular individuals were more likely to vote NDP both in Quebec and in the rest of Canada. Some distinct voting patterns also remain for non-mainline Protestant groups in the ROC and religious nones in Quebec.

Religious–Secular Polarization Compared: The Cases of Quebec and British Columbia

For many decades now, there has been a general decline of traditional indicators of religiosity in both Quebec and British Columbia. New generations are being born and raised in much more secular social contexts than in years past. However, this general trend of decline masks many differences between the two Canadian provinces, and does not imply a complete disappearance of religion from society. Certain groups of believers have been able to maintain their numbers and levels of practice. Since the 2000s, these two worlds of the secular and the religious seem to have been confronting one another more and more, evident in public debates and individual representations. The emerging framework of religious polarization offers conceptual tools to better grasp this dynamic in advanced Modernity. By analyzing recent statistical data on individual religious practices, we examine the extent to which this cleavage between the religious and non-religious is developing among younger generations in two distinct religious and social contexts: those of Quebec and British Columbia.

Islamophobia in Canada: Measuring the Realities of Negative Attitudes Toward Muslims and Religious Discrimination: Islamophobia in Canada

There has been growing discussion surrounding the phenomenon of Islamophobia in Western societies over the last few years. However, in-depth empirical research of the prevalence and patterns of prejudice toward Muslims remains scarce, especially in the Canadian context. With data from the 2011 Canadian Election Study and the 2014 General Social Survey, this study measures the extent to which negative feelings toward Muslims are present among the general adult population, and the extent to which Muslim Canadians themselves say they have experienced discrimination in recent years due to their religion, ethnicity, and culture.

Vers une réflexion sur les liens potentiels entre modèles de laïcité et pratiques religieuses individuelles

J’aimerais d’abord féliciter Philippe Portier pour son livre L’État et les religions en France : Une sociologie historique de la laı̈cité. Ce fut un grand plaisir de le lire au cours du mois d’avril 2017, et un bon retour pour moi dans le monde de la sociologie française des religions et de la laı̈cité. Mes lectures au cours des deux dernières années ont surtout touché un autre aspect des paysages religieux : la question des pratiques, des croyances, des attitudes et des caractéristiques des individus qui se disent sans religion. L’État et la religion en France fut l’occasion de me replonger dans une sociologie historique ayant une vue plus globale de l’évolution des rapports entre l’État et la religion — la grande spécialité de Portier et, à mon avis, l’une des forces de la sociologie française. Je commencerai par un résumé des principaux aspects du livre et par quelques commentaires pour ceux et celles qui ne l’ont pas encore lu. Je poursuivrai ensuite par des réflexions et un questionnement que l’ouvrage soulève en lien avec mes propres travaux.

Introduction au numéro spécial: La polarisation entre le religieux et le séculier dans les représentations des Québécois et Canadiens Québécois and Canadian Representations of Religious–Secular Polarization

Une diversité importante d’affiliations et de pratiques religieuses, chrétiennes et autres que chrétiennes, caractérise les sociétés québécoise et canadienne. Cette pluralité suscite davantage de débats depuis une quinzaine d’années, dans lesquels semble se dessiner un clivage entre une conception de la citoyenneté qui inclut l’expression publique de l’appartenance religieuse et une conception de l’incompatibilité entre la religiosité « apparente » et la sécularisation avancée de la société (Milot, 2013). Si on se réfère à deux débats qui ont fait grand bruit au Québec, celui des accommodements raisonnables pour motifs religieux au (2006–2007) et celui sur le projet de