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    Religiosity in Times of Insecurity: An Analysis of Irish, Spanish and Portuguese European Social Survey Data, 2002–12


    Healy, Amy Erbe and Breen, Michael (2014) Religiosity in Times of Insecurity: An Analysis of Irish, Spanish and Portuguese European Social Survey Data, 2002–12. Irish Journal of Sociology, 22 (2). pp. 4-29. ISSN 0791-6035

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    Abstract

    Secularisation theory would suggest that with increasing economic development, industrialisation and modernity, the influence of the church should be waning. However, more recent theories regarding religiosity in times of personal and contextual insecurity have suggested that secularisation is not a linear process. Existential security theory predicts that religiosity and religious practice are higher in times of insecurity. Given the economic crisis of 2008, the changes in many governments and subsequent austerity measures, it could be argued that all households in austerity countries are facing more uncertain times than they were before 2008, both personally and contextually. However, analysis of Irish, Spanish and Portuguese data from the European Social Survey (2002–12) using ordinary least squares regression and logistic regression generally does not support this theory in terms of contextual insecurity. There is some support for the link between personal insecurity and religiosity; recent immigrants are significantly and substantially more religious in terms of subjective religiosity, frequency of prayer and frequency of attendance at religious services than earlier immigrants and those who were born in a country.
    Item Type: Article
    Keywords: religiosity; secularisation; austerity; existential security theory; European Social Survey;
    Academic Unit: Faculty of Social Sciences > Sociology
    Item ID: 20533
    Identification Number: 10.7227/IJS.22.2.2
    Depositing User: IR Editor
    Date Deposited: 04 Sep 2025 13:19
    Journal or Publication Title: Irish Journal of Sociology
    Publisher: SAGE Publications
    Refereed: Yes
    Related URLs:
    URI: https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/20533
    Use Licence: This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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