Data on Religion and Religiosity
International comparative datasets | Church Research Institute's datasets | Individual datasets | Search FSD database | Links related to religion and religiosity
This web page presents examples on survey data on religion and religiosity archived at the FSD. There are some datasets concentrating exclusively on religion, religious behaviour and religiosity, and several datasets that contain variables related to the topic.
The data archived at the FSD are freely available for research and teaching purposes. More information on how to order data. There is also a list of links to other information sources related to religion research at the bottom of the page.
International Comparative Datasets
- Eurobarometers are comparative surveys carried out simultaneously in the European Union member countries. The respondents have frequently been asked for instance whether they consider themselves religious, and some questions have also concentrated on the importance of religion and church attendance (see Eurobarometer Trends).
- The datasets in the World Values Survey (WVS) research series have charted religious behaviour, beliefs and membership of religious groups in almost 100 countries.
- The International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) has collected information on the activities and social opinions of citizens in various continents. The theme of the 1991, 1998, and 2008 surveys has been religion. The surveys have charted topics such as the relationship between religion and politics and between religion and science, the influence of religion and the church, the respondents' religiosity, meaning of life, religious experiences, parents' and spouse's religiosity, moral, belief in spiritual healing and omens, concept of God, and the goodness or badness of people and the world.
- European Social Survey (ESS) is a biennial multi-country survey series which collects comparable data from over 20 nations. The repeated core module includes questions on religiosity, national identity, political participation, values, and trust in institutions.
Church Research Institute's Datasets
Several datasets collected by the Church Research Institute are archived at the FSD. Some of them are presented below.
- Gallup Ecclesiastica survey series studies Finnish religiosity and values, participation in the activities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and relationship to the church. Questions have covered reasons for being a member of the church, participation in various congregational activities, faith, and the ordination of women. Data are collected every four years. FSD collections include data from the year 1995 onwards.
- The Church Monitor surveys have probed views on paranormal phenomena, spirituality, and the importance of different congregational activities. The FSD collections include surveys from 2004, 2002, and 1999.
- FSD2030 Finnish Attitudes to the Ordination of Women 2000 studied Finnish attitudes towards women's ordination and women priests or bishops.
- Religion and Religiousness in Russia survey series has charted the concepts of religion, morals and values in Russia since the 1990s.
- FSD1126 Fears and Anxieties 1999 explored fears and anxieties felt by the Finns relating to the turn of the millennium.
- FSD1127 Prayer Study 1998 charted prayer habits and beliefs associated with praying in Finland.
Individual Datasets
- FSD2589 Role of the Church in Collective Crises and Social Problems 2007 studied the role of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland in collective crises and in civic society. Variables investigating the respondents' religiosity and attendance in religious services are included in the data.
- Themes in FSD2217 Finnish Youth Survey 2006 include the religiosity and social participation of young people.
- Science Barometers have charted Finnish attitudes towards science and research. They also contain questions on beliefs, views of life, and the relationship between science and religion.
- The respondent's religiosity and belonging to a church or other religious community are included among the background variables of several datasets, for example the ISSP surveys and FSD1260 Finnish National Election Study 2003, FSD1243 Finnish Sex Survey 1992, FSD1250 Morality 2001, FSD1357 Attitudes to Economy and Social Security 1994, and FSD0200 Class Structure and Class Consciousness 1980-1983.
Search FSD Database
The surveys listed on this page are only a small sample of all data related to religion and religiosity archived at the FSD. It is therefore worthwhile to search the FSD's data catalogue, also by keywords. See also the search instructions.
