Church attendance
Various polls and surveys have been conducted with regard to the level of church attendance. Despite varying results, all establish Greece as one of the most religious countries in Europe. It should also be mentioned that the most recent surveys indicate the ongoing development of a more secular understanding of the social and political space.
Religious participation is measured on the basis of two major variables: a) Church attendance (How often do you attend religious services?); and b) Frequency of Prayer (How often do you pray outside religious service?). Overall,
- 18% attend church service at least once a week, while the number of churchgoers ‘once a month’ is high as well (21.2%);
- 40.8% pray to God every day, 13.1 % more than once a week and 7.7. once a week (the more or less frequent prayers comprise about 60% of the total).
Table 1 Church Attendance
EVS-wave | 1999-2001 | 2008-2010 | Total |
---|---|---|---|
how often attend religious services? | |||
more than once a week | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 |
once a week | 10.7 | 17.8 | 14.7 |
once a month | 19.6 | 22.4 | 21.2 |
only on special holy days/Christmas/Easter days | 45.9 | 42.7 | 44.1 |
other specific holy days | 7.4 | 0 | 3.2 |
once a year | 7.9 | 4.7 | 6.1 |
less often | 0.5 | 2.5 | 1.7 |
never, practically never | 4.7 | 6.6 | 5.8 |
Total | 100 | 100 | 100 |
N= | 1131 | 1497 | 2628 |
Table 2 Frequency of Prayer
EVS-wave | 1999-2001 | 2008-2010 | Total |
---|---|---|---|
how often pray to god outside religious services? | |||
every day | 35.3 | 45 | 40.8 |
more than once week | 12.5 | 13.6 | 13.1 |
once a week | 7.5 | 7.9 | 7.7 |
at least once a month | 5.9 | 4.2 | 4.9 |
several times a year | 15.4 | 11.3 | 13 |
less often | 8.9 | 6.1 | 7.3 |
never | 14.6 | 12 | 13.1 |
Total | 100 | 100 | 100 |
N= | 1092 | 1468 | 2560 |
Source: The data used here is derived from the European Values Study (EVS 1981-2008 Longitudinal Data File).