Analysis of changes in social attitudes of young people based on the example of participation in religion classes
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Purpose: In Poland, changes are taking place in the perception of the church by young people, and this is visible in the reluctance of young people to attend religious education classes. This article attempts to analyze and evaluate the attendance of young people in religious education classes. In the present times, young people leaving the church is one of the factors of the ongoing social changes. Design/methodology/approach: The publication utilized data on the religious attendance index in Poland across dioceses for the years 2018-2023 (six years) for individual dioceses. The publication analyzed data on the religious attendance index for the whole of Poland and for each of the 41 existing dioceses. Indices for different types of schools were also analyzed, including preschools, primary schools, general secondary schools, and technical schools. The raw data was sourced from the mentioned sources. Data on religious education in schools was provided by the Commission for Catholic Education of the Polish Episcopal Conference (KEP). The data was analyzed using Excel spreadsheets. Based on the data, indicators such as changes in the religious attendance indicator between two consecutive years and the changes in religious attendance index in individual dioceses for the years 2018-2023 were calculated. Findings: The analysis showed The analysis showed that there is a systematic decrease in the number of people participating in religious education classes in both primary and secondary schools in Poland. Based on the conducted analysis, it can be observed that among Polish children and youth, religious education classes are progressively becoming less popular. Research limitations/implications: The limitations of qualitative research are the relatively small sample size and lack of representativeness. A natural continuation of the research may be the quantitative verification of identified dysfunctions and their sources. Practical implications: In the article, based on the data, markers such as the change in the attendance rate in religion classes between subsequent years and the changes in attendance in religion classes in various types of schools in Poland in the years 2018-2022, divided into individual dioceses, were calculated. These studies showed how to change in the case of religion among children and youth on various educational topics. Social implications: Understanding the factors that influence changes in the attitude of young people in Poland towards the church, indicating the causes of this phenomenon and proposing actions for improvement. Originality/value: The article contributes to expanding knowledge about social changes caused by the decreasing interest of young people in the church and willingness to participate in religious education classes both in the whole country and in individual dioceses. Keywords: religious attendance, Catholic Church, religious education, religious education, Poland. Category of the paper: Research paper.
Institution: Silesian University of Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Safety Research
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4411729686