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Religion, Society and Politics A Comparative Analysis of Thirteen Central, Eastern and Southern European Countries

Based on the 2008 European Value Survey data, the paper analyses the role of religion in thirteen Central, Eastern and Southern European countries. Although many of these countries share similar history in recent time, particularly in relation to a common communist experience and post-communist social development, the role and public visibility of religion is markedly different between these countries. This is demonstrated by an analysis of common sociological indicators of religiosity. In addition, data show that the overall religious image of one country is determined by a large number of indicators, as some indicators point to different directions, e.g. the high level of confessional identification in contrast to very low trust in the church. The paper analyses also the relation between religion and politics and shows that religion exerts a very weak influence on personal attitudes towards a democratic political system. Some such influence is observed only in countries with very turbulent recent history, marked by wars and/or intense social conflicts, e.g. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosova. The paper concludes by summarizing the results of the study and discussing the applicability of a wide theoretical framework, such as the theory of the revitalization of religion, for interpreting the public role of religion in the countries analysed. This paper is a revised and shortened version of Črpić and Zrinščak 2014.

Religion, Society, Politics, Comparative Analysis, Central, Eastern and Southern European Countries

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