Normalisation of nonreligious identity in Finland

Abstract

ABSTRACT Based on representative survey material analysed with the help of Multiple Classification Analysis (MCA), this article examines nonreligious identification in Finland. It focuses on those who positively identify themselves as nonreligious, describes them according to selected social variables, and explores their attitudes. The results demonstrate that nonreligious identity is more prevalent among Millennials and even more so among urban men. An examination of attitudes towards minority religions, church–state interaction, and national pride shows that the nonreligious are relatively liberal and tolerant, but what makes them different from others is their opposition to church–state interaction and their lack of national pride, thus indicating the weakening of ‘cultural religion’. On the basis of these findings, this article argues that in addition to the general process of secularisation, national history and recent social changes offer plausible reasons for the questions of how and why such normalisation is taking place, especially among Millennials.