The place of religion in the lives of people residing in France is often the subject of untruths in public debate. Hence the interest of the INSEE study on religious diversity in France published this Thursday, especially since the question is rarely addressed by public statistics. According to this, Catholicism remains the first religion declared in our country in 2019-2020 (claimed by 29% of 18 to 59 year olds), followed by Islam (10%). The proportion of people declaring themselves to be of another Christian religion (Protestant or Orthodox) reaches 9%. Still, 51% of people living in France say they have no religion, whereas they were only 45% ten years ago.
The historical imprint of Catholicism therefore remains significant in our country, even if the proportion of people claiming to be of this religion fell by 8 points between 2008 and 2019, while the number of Muslims on our soil gained 3 points. “A progression which is explained in particular by the arrival of immigrants in France, from countries where the weight of religion is strong (Maghreb, Turkey or the Middle East, Sahelian Africa)”, explains Patrick Simon, French sociodemographer at the National Institute for Demographic Studies (INED).
Only 8% of Catholics go to church regularly
But who says believer, does not necessarily say regular practitioner. Respect for dogma indeed differs greatly from one religion to another. According to INSEE, 8% of Catholics go regularly to the Church, compared to 22% of other Christians (Protestants, Orthodox, etc.). “Among Catholics, religious holidays, apart from Christmas, have lost their unifying role,” observes Patrick Simon. Immigrant Catholics are almost an exception: as proof, 55% of immigrants from Central Africa go to mass regularly.
Attendance at a place of worship is much more intense among Jews, 34% of whom often go to the synagogue, and Muslims and Buddhists, who respectively 20% go to worship in a mosque or a temple. “We observe that there is no automaticity in the fact of attending a place of worship and even that there is a growing privatization of religious practice”, emphasizes Patrick Simon. “The collective practices of the religions of salvation are collapsing in favor of individual identity religions”, adds Olivier Bobineau, sociologist of religions.
The place of religion is not central for all believers
The rare frequentation of places of worship does not therefore mean the absence of religious practice. Example with Islam: 58% of Muslims practice prayer at least once a week, as do 32% of Buddhists. As for the practice of fasting, it is very disparate according to the religions. It is very prevalent among Muslims during the month of Ramadan: 75% observe it strictly. On the other hand, only 3% of Catholics and 5% of other Christians fast during Lent.
And when asked about the place of religion in their identity, believers have a very different view of it. For a majority of Jews (54%) and for 30% Muslims, religion is cited as a constituent dimension of their identity, whereas it is only for 6% of Catholics. “There is a strong trend towards secularization in France. Citizens are expected to make their religion less visible. This explains the fact that it is one dimension of their personality among others for Catholics, unlike immigrants for whom it is more central”, analyzes Patrick Simon. Moreover, the relationship to religion changes for immigrants with time spent in France. “The importance of religion in life decreases among second-generation Muslims, especially those who form a mixed couple,” he says.
And if one was brought up in a religious family, it does not mean that one will claim the religion of one’s elders. Certainly, 91% of people brought up in a Muslim family have married the religion of their parents. This transmission is also very strong among Jews (84%). But Christian families transmit their religion less: 67% of people raised by Catholic parents and 69% by parents of other Christian denominations claim to belong to the same religion. “The degrees of transmission are much weaker when the two parents have different religions: 57% of people who grew up in a mixed family do not take the religion of one of their parents”, indicates Patrick Simon. Exciting data to understand how our country is evolving.