Amid ongoing secularization trends in Western societies, a comprehensive international study spearheaded by sociologists from the University of Münster sheds new light on the intricate dynamics of religious transmission across generations. Drawing on extensive quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews across multiple countries, this research unravels how families, social contexts, and broader political environments converge to shape whether religiosity or non-religiosity is inherited, transformed, or discarded by younger generations.
The team conducted their research in five Christian-majority nations—Germany, Finland, Italy, Canada, and Hungary—each undergoing varying stages and degrees of secularization. Through representative surveys and multi-generational family interviews, sociologists Christel Gärtner, Linda Hennig, and Olaf Müller provide empirical insights into the mechanisms by which religious identity and practice are cultivated or lost. Their work, funded by the John Templeton Foundation and published in the forthcoming volume Families and Religion: Dynamics of Transmission across Generations, establishes the family unit as the paramount locus of religious socialization.
Central to the findings is the role of a family’s religious self-image and shared practices in shaping the faith orientation of children. The study reveals that religiosity is most robustly transmitted when parents jointly identify with the same faith tradition and participate in regular communal religious activities such as prayer or singing. Intriguingly, mothers emerge as the key actors in fostering this transmission, underscoring gendered dimensions of religious socialization. The data further indicate that religious institutions and clergy outside the domestic setting serve as significant supplementary environments, providing spaces for reflection, dialogue, and community engagement, which collectively sustain religious identity.
Paradoxically, the very social forces that historically nurtured religious continuities are eroding as Western societies become increasingly secular. The study highlights how parents in these contexts are more often non-religious or adopt a permissive approach, prioritizing their children’s autonomy in faith matters. This liberal upbringing model, which gained momentum since the 1980s, encourages youths to critically reflect and often distance themselves from their familial religious legacies. Adolescence emerges as a pivotal developmental phase during which individuals negotiate and potentially revise the religious frameworks instilled in childhood.
Comparative analysis between East and West Germany illustrates the profound impact of political and societal factors on religious transmission. In East Germany, decades of explicit anti-religious policies have created a pronounced discontinuity, with half of the youngest generation (born 1985–2003) descending from non-religious families. By contrast, in West Germany, religious affiliation remains largely preserved among youth, with around 70% maintaining a denominational identity congruent with at least one parent. This east-west dichotomy exemplifies how political environments condition parental motivations and capacities to convey religion to offspring.
Additionally, the study identifies the grandparental generation as a potentially reinforcing—but not substitutable—source in religious continuity. When grandparents participate actively in their grandchildren’s religious upbringing, there is a higher likelihood of sustained religiosity across generations; however, their influence cannot replace parental engagement, which remains decisive. The interplay between these familial layers reveals complex patterns of intergenerational religious negotiation.
While overt religious observance and membership decline, the research documents striking continuity in core ethical values such as solidarity, charity, and tolerance. Younger generations assimilate these principles, albeit through secular lenses that detach them from explicit religious rationale. This transformation signals a decoupling of moral values from their traditional religious foundations, reflecting broader cultural and ideological shifts within pluralistic societies.
Methodologically, the study’s strength lies in its mixed-methods design, combining statistically robust representative sampling with in-depth qualitative interviews. This approach unveils not only the prevalence of religious or non-religious identities but also the nuanced processes by which beliefs, practices, and values are internalized, adapted, or rejected by individuals situated within evolving familial and sociopolitical milieus.
The international research consortium comprises experts from institutions across Europe and North America, including the University of Eastern Finland, Pázmány Péter Catholic University Budapest, University of Turin, and University of Ottawa. Their collaborative effort, anchored at the University of Münster’s Centre for Religion and Modernity and the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics,” underscores the global relevance and interdisciplinary significance of religious transmission studies in contemporary secular contexts.
This research holds critical implications for understanding the future trajectory of religion in Western societies. It challenges reductionist narratives of simple religious decline by revealing the transformative reconfigurations of faith, identity, and values within families and communities. Recognizing the nuanced interdependence of individual agency, familial influence, and socio-political structures enriches the discourse on religion’s evolving place in modern life.
In sum, this pioneering study demonstrates that the passing on of religion is neither a mere replication of parental beliefs nor an unidirectional decline. Instead, it is a dynamic, complex process shaped by multiple actors and contexts, where religion morphs to meet contemporary realities. As secularization progresses, the patterns of transmission adapt, illustrating resilience and change in equal measure—a compelling narrative for scholars, religious communities, and policymakers alike.
Subject of Research: Transmission of religion and non-religion across generations in secularizing Western societies
Article Title: Families and Religion: Dynamics of Transmission across Generations
News Publication Date: 2025
References:
Gärtner, Christel / Hennig, Linda / Müller, Olaf (eds.) (2025): Families and Religion: Dynamics of Transmission across Generations, Frankfurt a.M./New York. ISBN 978-3-593-51994-4.
