O ye of little faith: half of Flanders’ teenagers don’t believe in Jesus
A survey by KU Leuven among more than 15,000 young people in Flanders has shown that religious belief is on the decline
Beyond belief
The survey was carried out by the University of Leuven (KU Leuven) among students in Flanders’ Catholic school network between 2008 – three years into the reign of the hardline doctrinaire Pope Benedict XVI – and 2015, two years after the arrival of the kindler, gentler Pope Francis. The survey covered nearly 15,300 students from the fifth and sixth years of primary school and from all years of secondary school.
Some 4.3% said they were devout; 44% prayed from time to time, 26% prayed before but don’t anymore, 30% never did. “We cannot conclude that young people are not interested in Christ or have an aversion or a collective indifference to the Catholic faith,” said KU Leuven vice-rector of education, Didier Pollefeyt, who led the research. “That’s the case for some but not for the majority.”
Of course the answers were provided by youngsters between the ages of 12 and 18. Is there are other population group more likely to rebel against authority and give the answers their elders don’t want to hear?
Photo: Ingimage
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