Irreligion in New Zealand
Irreligion in New Zealand refers to
Although New Zealand has no
Demographics
Statistics New Zealand gathers information on religious affiliation in the five-yearly census. Completing a census form is compulsory by law for every person in New Zealand on census night[1] but respondents are able to object to answering the question of religious affiliation,[2] and around 6% do object.[3] The trend shows an increasing proportion of residents in New Zealand declaring no religious affiliation. In the 1991 census, 20.2% were in this category.[4] The proportion more than doubled in two decades, reaching 41.9% in the 2013 census, and increased again to 48.2% in the 2018 census, when for the first time a plurality of New Zealanders claimed "no religion".[5]
There is significant debate among sociologists about the interpretation of this trend in census data.
The
According to a report by the American Physical Society, religion may die out in New Zealand and eight other Western world countries.[10][11][12]
As of the 2018 census, those who did not affiliate with a religion outnumbered those with a religion for the first time.[5]
Irreligion in society
The Humanist Society of New Zealand and the New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists promote a secular view of life without reference to supernatural agencies as one of their aims.
A campaign to create advertisements similar to the Atheist Bus Campaign in the United Kingdom began a fund-raising drive on 10 December 2009,[13] and reached its initial target of $10,000 in donations within 48 hours, making it one of the most successful atheist campaigns of all time.[14]
Māori and other ethnic groups
Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand notes, in 2013 "47% of people who identified themselves as Europeans or New Zealanders said they had no religion – as did 46% of Māori and 30% of Asians. Only 18% of Pacific peoples, and 17% of people in the Middle Eastern, Latin American and African ethnic groups, said they had no religion."[15]
See also
- Blasphemy law in New Zealand
- Demographics of atheism
- Religion in New Zealand
- Socialism in New Zealand
References
- ^ "Participation in the Census". Statistics New Zealand. Archived from the original on 2010-05-26. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
- ^ "Religious Affiliation Questionnaire Model". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
- ^ Table 28, 2006 Census Data – QuickStats About Culture and Identity – Tables Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Diverse Communities – Exploring the Migrant and Refugee Experience in New Zealand" (PDF). Ministry of Social Development. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
- ^ a b "2018 Census totals by topic" (Microsoft Excel spreadsheet). Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ISBN 9780742507616.
- ^ Ward, Kevin (2004). "'No Longer Believing' – or – 'Believing without Belonging'". In Stenhouse, John (ed.). The Future of Christianity: Historical, Sociological, Political and Theological Perspectives from New Zealand. Adelaide: AFT Press. pp. 64–66.
- ^ "Who is Secular". Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
- ^ "Religion In New Zealand: International Social Survey Programme" (PDF). Massey University. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
- ^ "Religion may become extinct in nine nations, study says". BBC. March 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- PMID 21929211.
- ^ "Religion set for extinction in NZ, says US study". The New Zealand Herald. March 22, 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- The Dominion Post. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
- ^ NZ Atheist Bus Campaign Blog $10,000 and growing fast
- ^ Walrond, Carl (4 April 2018). "Atheism and secularism". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
External links
- Statistics New Zealand – Religion page