Rights statement: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Doebler, S. and Shuttleworth, I. (2018), Religious Identification, Switching, and Apostasy Among Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland: Individual and Cohort Dynamics Between Two Censuses 2001–2011. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 57: 723-742. doi:10.1111/jssr.12554 which has been published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jssr.12554 This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.
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Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Religious Identification, Switching, and Apostasy Among Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland
T2 - Individual and Cohort Dynamics Between Two Censuses 2001–2011
AU - Doebler, Stefanie
AU - Shuttleworth, Ian
N1 - This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Doebler, S. and Shuttleworth, I. (2018), Religious Identification, Switching, and Apostasy Among Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland: Individual and Cohort Dynamics Between Two Censuses 2001–2011. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 57: 723-742. doi:10.1111/jssr.12554 which has been published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jssr.12554 This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.
PY - 2018/12/11
Y1 - 2018/12/11
N2 - Religious identification has historically been salient in Northern Ireland as an ethnic‐national identity marker. Thirteen years after the Good Friday Agreement that marked the start of the peace process in the country, the question arises whether religious affiliation in Northern Ireland has become less of an ethnonational identity marker and more of a personal choice. This article analyzes religious switching and apostasy between 2001 and 2011, using data from the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study, a representative sample of approximately 28 percent of the population, linked to the 2001 and 2011 censuses. We found that the vast majority retained their self‐reported religious affiliation, a tiny minority switched between Protestantism and Catholicism, and a significant minority, particularly among the young, switched to “none/not stated” or between Protestant denominations. Religious switching is associated with young age, higher education, and also socioeconomic deprivation. Experiences of social frustration appear to drive many to leave their faith.
AB - Religious identification has historically been salient in Northern Ireland as an ethnic‐national identity marker. Thirteen years after the Good Friday Agreement that marked the start of the peace process in the country, the question arises whether religious affiliation in Northern Ireland has become less of an ethnonational identity marker and more of a personal choice. This article analyzes religious switching and apostasy between 2001 and 2011, using data from the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study, a representative sample of approximately 28 percent of the population, linked to the 2001 and 2011 censuses. We found that the vast majority retained their self‐reported religious affiliation, a tiny minority switched between Protestantism and Catholicism, and a significant minority, particularly among the young, switched to “none/not stated” or between Protestant denominations. Religious switching is associated with young age, higher education, and also socioeconomic deprivation. Experiences of social frustration appear to drive many to leave their faith.
KW - religious switching
KW - apostasy
KW - Northern Ireland
KW - census
U2 - 10.1111/jssr.12554
DO - 10.1111/jssr.12554
M3 - Journal article
VL - 57
SP - 723
EP - 742
JO - Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
JF - Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
SN - 0021-8294
IS - 4
ER -