Survey data indicate that in East Central Europe:
- a religious worldview overwhelmingly predominates in Poland (80%), has a considerable following in Slovakia (54%) and Hungary (50%), but influences a decided minority in the Czech Republic (33%).
- nominal religious commitment characterizes Hungarian Protestants the most (88%) and Polish Catholics the least (25%);
- 53 to 71 percent of the population of the countries surveyed do not own a Bible or New Testament; and
- "earnest believers" in the majority of cases are female and 50 years of age or older.
| PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS WHO | POLAND | SLOVAKIA | HUNGARY | CZECH REPUBLIC |
| hold to a religious world view1 | ||||
| consider themselves Catholic and who attend church regularly2 |
||||
| consider themselves Protestant and who attend church regularly2 |
||||
| personally own a Bible or New Testament3 |
||||
| knew the story of the Good Samaritan (slightly, partly, or well)4 |
||||
| knew the story of Paul's conversion (slightly, partly, or well)4 |
||||
| knew the story of the birth of Jesus (slightly, partly, or well)4 |
||||
| knew the story of creation (slightly, partly, or well)4 |
||||
| identified themselves as earnest believers |
||||
| who are female5 | ||||
| who are 50 yrs. of age or older5 | ||||
| who have eight or less years of schooling5 |
Findings derive from 7,570 interviews conducted between March and July 1991. The Lausanne Committee on World Evangelization, the British and Foreign Bible Society, World Vision, and Roger Russell Marketing served as sponsors. Survey subcontractors included Szonda-Ipsos (Budapest), Institut Pro Vyzkum Verejneho Mineni (Prague), and Pentor (Warsaw).
Source: Tom Houston, Richard Worthing-Davies, and Roger Russell, Evangelization in the Post Marxist Czech and Slovak Republics. London: Roger Russell Marketing, 1993.
1Page 1.
Page 18
3Page 20.
Page 23.
Page 29.
Page 32.
"Religious Attitudes in East Central Europe," East-West Church & Ministry Report, 1 (Summer 1993), 12.
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© 1993 East-West Church and Ministry Report
ISSN 1069-5664
