International Religious Survey

Religious pluralism is on the rise in many European societies, which raises the question of how to explain this trend and what impact it has on religions and society. The research aims to provide insight into organizational and religious diversity and its impact on religious vitality and civil society. Using a multidimensional measurement model, religious pluralism in different regions of Germany, Finland and Slovenia is shown in a comparable way. These countries were chosen because of different political and religious backgrounds - the beliefs of the Finns were influenced mainly by the Lutheran Church, and the Slovenes were influenced by both the Roman Catholic Church and the communist regime. The Germans were selected for the study as members of various branches of Christianity with a fairly large proportion of non-religious and undefined. Data collection in each country has taken place in one rural and one urban region, taking into account a population density factor that has so far often not been taken into account in research on religious diversity. The process of linking religious diversity with other religious and social factors should help broaden our understanding of the relationship between religious life, social values and social cohesion. The research is part of NORFACE's research program, one of ten surveys on religions.