This report, prepared by the Center for Studies in Applied Communication (CECAP), of the School of Postgraduate Studies in Communication of the Universidad AustralThis summarizes some of the most interesting characteristics of the non-religious population in Argentina. According to the Second National Survey of Religious Beliefs and Attitudes in
According to a study conducted in Argentina by Mallimaci, Esquivel, Giménez Béliveau & Irrazábal (2019), the group of those without religion is one of the fastest growing in recent years: while in 2008 it represented 11,3% of the population, in 2019 it increased to 18,9%. Thus, those without religion represent the second largest belief group in the country after Catholics (1).
Catholics (62%)
No religion (18,9%)
Evangelical (15,3%)
Others (2,9%)
Source: Mallimaci, Giménez Béliveau and Esquivel (2019)
The growth of this group—which includes agnostics, atheists, and believers without religion—reveals many current and potentially future cultural trends in Argentina. The group includes individuals who have inherited or are part of social changes that have altered how many people think about and experience reality: some reflect the rise of individualism stemming from criticism and a loss of trust in institutions and their rules; others show the influence of global narratives—such as the one proposing an intrinsic conflict between science and religion—that circulate in
Books, social media, or streaming services; there are also those who have been socialized in the more pluralistic cultural world that has emerged from democratization, population growth, and globalization, and who have experienced religion as one choice among the many offered by the contemporary world. Consequently, deepening our understanding of those without religion is also to understand our recent past.
Furthermore, since (non-)religion is a relevant aspect of people's lives and cultures, changes in the religious structure of a population can lead to social, political, economic, and other developments. In the United States and Europe, for example, atheism is becoming a more active identity, which can promote both scientific education and contempt for minorities, as is the case with some Islamophobic expressions of the New Atheist movement.
This report will present some data on the non-religious that are far removed from the
stereotypes with which this group is frequently perceived. The findings are based on qualitative research conducted by Dr. Arturo Fitz Herbert for the International Research Network for the Study of Science and Belief in Society (https://scienceandbeliefinsociety.org/), and funded by the Templeton Religion Trust.
The research involved in-depth interviews with 41 people with no religion in Argentina, which were then transcribed, coded, and analyzed by a team of
researchers from the Faculty of Communication of the Universidad Austral.
Access the full report here..
