91% Of Argentines Believe In God
The study, which surveyed about 2,400 people, indicates that while the vast bulk of Argentines “believe in God, in Jesus, the Virgin Mary and in the Holy Saints,” they do so without necessarily participating in any kind of institutionalized religious activity. “This shows a strong process of individualization and non-institutionalization,” Dr. Fortunato Mallimaci, the study’s director, said in a statement. The Catholic Church, meanwhile, “has more of a social presense than a religious one in the country,” she added.
Survey highlights:
*76.5% of those surveyed define themselves as Catholic, but only 24% of these actively participate in religious ceremonies. This first percentage is down 14% from 1960, the last time a similar survey was conducted.
*91.8% believe in Jesus
*84% believe in the Holy Ghost
*80% believe in the Virgin Mary.
*11.3% are Atheists or Agnostics
*11% are “indifferent” about religion
*9% are Evangelical
*1.2% are Jehovas Witnesses
*Less than 1% are Mormon
*More than half of Argentines surveyed said they relate directly to God and do not need any kind of intermediary (such as a priest) to do so.
*70.8% said they will let their children freely choose what to believe about religion
*Oddly, the survey did not seem to mention anything about Jewish beliefs
“We are seeing a complex processes of change, where people are becoming less institutionally religious, where there is more individuation, and where there is a reworking of beliefs,” Mallimaci said.
Most Argentines (59%) have more faith in the Catholic Church than in any other institution, according to the poll. Faith in the church is followed closely by faith in the media, with 58% saying they trust the media. (Surely, they trust The Argentine Post!) About 46% trust the military while just 30% trust labor unions and only 27% trust political parties.
The survey also revealed that 92.4% of Argentines think schools should teach sexual education courses. Meanwhile, some 68.6% support the right to have an abortion.
Link: PDF of Survey Results
Popularity: 1% [?]
One other thing I was looking for was for the teaching of evolution in the schools. I have heard that they even teach it in Catholic schools although I have not been able to confirm this.
Would be interesting to find out wouldn´t it?
Hi,
Evolution is thought in Argentine schools. But to be honest, the level is horrible, most children only “learn” things by heart (memorizing stuff without understanding anything).