Hoe zit het met de verschillende onderzoeken naar religie, spiritualiteit en Generatie Z? Hoe kijkt de jongste generatie in verschillende werelddelen naar de wereld van het geloof? We starten met een kijkje in de Australische relitrends.
Volgens onderzoekers is het beeld onder jongeren van 13-18 jaar in Australië gecompliceerder dan het lijkt. De cijfers geven op het eerste gezicht aan dat de helft van de jongeren niets met religie. Maar schijn bedriegt, want de Australische generatie Z mag dan niet zoveel hebben met georganiseerde religie, een groot deel van de jongeren heeft wel degelijk interesse in spiritualiteit.
Our national study by scholars from ANU, Deakin and Monash – the AGZ Study – comprises 11 focus groups with students in Years 9 and 10 (ages 15-16) in three states, a nationally representative telephone survey of 1,200 people aged 13-18, and 30 in-depth, follow-up interviews. To ensure the types were more than computer-generated assumptions, we interviewed at least five teens from each group, checking that it all made sense.’
De onderzoekers onderscheiden zes type jongeren als het gaat om religie en spiritualiteit:
- This-worldly. This largest group accounts for 23% of Australian teens. “This-wordly” young people have no space in their worldview for religious, spiritual or non-material possibilities. They never or rarely go to services of worship and don’t identify with a religion.
- Religiously committed. Making up 17% of Australian teens, the religiously committed stand in stark contrast to the “this-worldly” teens. Religious faith, whether that is Christian (mainly Pentecostal and evangelical), Islam or something else, is a big part of their lives.
- Seekers. Intriguingly different from both these “committed” groups are the exploratory Seekers, a small but vital 8% of teens. Their worldview is decidedly eclectic. They almost all self-describe as “spiritual”. This finds expression in belief in life after death, and repeated experiences of a presence or power that is different from their everyday selves. Seekers have a decidedly eclectic worldview, seeking out their spiritual truth. They most likely consult their horoscopes, have seen a psychic, or both. At the same time, they identify with a religion and believe in God or a higher being.
- Spiritual but not religious. Sitting between the This-worldly and Seekers is a group we call Spiritual but not Religious, represented by 18% of teens in Australia. God, faith and religion are not important to them, but the door is open to spiritual possibilities, including issues such as life after death, reincarnation, and belief in a higher being (but not really God).
- Indifferent. As might be expected, one group is largely indifferent or undecided about all of it: religion, spirituality and atheism. Following the lead from scholars overseas, we call this group Indifferent. They comprise about 15% of Australian teens.
- Nominally religious. This group is largely culturally religious, following the religious identity of their parents, guardians or community (for example, a Catholic or Islamic school). Certainly, they identify with a religion, and believe in God, but faith is not important in their daily lives and they don’t often darken the door of a temple, church or mosque. At the same time, they don’t care for spiritual ideas either, such as reincarnation or horoscopes.
Vragen voor jongerenwerkers, docenten en ouders:
- Welke dingen vallen je op in het onderzoek onder de jongeren van Australië?
- Zouden de zes type jongeren ook voor de Nederlandse jongeren kunnen opgaan?
- Er wordt door veel onderzoekers gesproken over global youthculture. Door het internet worden veel dingen zoals mode en popmuziek wereldwijd verspreid en door jongeren in de meest uiteenlopende landen opgepikt. Geldt dit ook voor de religieuze trends onder jongeren denk je?
Bron: theconversation.com
1 Response