State without Religion?

An empirical study among religious and humanist youth in the Netherlands and Flanders

Jeroen Jans

• Publisher: LIT Verlag
• Year: 2022
• ISBN:
  9783643964991
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Politics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

In recent decades, the Netherlands and Flanders have faced challenges in how to deal with a multicultural society. As far as worldviews are concerned, the question arises whether the state should guarantee a maximum level of choice concerning religion and humanism to individuals or leave a free space to the religious and humanist communities. This study explores in how far committed Catholic, Protestant, Muslim and humanist youth agree with different models of the relationship between worldviews and the state against the backdrop of their religious and humanist beliefs, as well as social determinants. It does so by drawing on quantitative and qualitative empirical research. The analyses show that, overall, most religious and humanist youth prefer the state to guarantee a maximum level of choice to individuals, but also want the state to respect a substantial free space for communities. Above all, they want the state to treat worldviews equally before the law. Their religious and humanist beliefs are the most significant determinants. Jeroen Jans (*1990) works at the Diocese of Hasselt and is a visiting researcher at Radboud University. He performed his doctoral research at the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• Chapter 1 Introduction
• Chapter 2 The relationship between worldviews and the state in a multicultural society
• Chapter 3 Religious, humanist, and social factors
• Chapter 4 Committed religious and humanist youth on the relationship between worldviews and the state
• Chapter 5 The influence of religious, humanist, and social factors on levels of agreement with different models of the relationship between worldviews and the state
• Chapter 6 Conclusion
• Appendix A Scale book (English translation)
• Appendix B Scale book (Dutch)
• Appendix C Interview protocol (English translation)
• Appendix D Interview protocol (Dutch)
• Appendix E Levels of agreement with the practical examples of the relationship between worldviews and the state
• Bibliography
• Samenvatting (Dutch summary)