Secularism, family ties and loneliness: A multilevel longitudinal study of ten European societies

Abstract

ObjectivesMass media suggest rising political and religious concern about secularism-induced decline of the family. Implications for loneliness remain unexamined. The current study filled this gap. MethodsData were from 10 national probability samples in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. Multilevel longitudinal models tested linkages of societal secularism with loneliness, their mediation by specific family relationships, and the role of this cultural dimension in weakening associations of family ties with loneliness. Both weighted Maximum Likelihood and unweighted Bayesian analyses were conducted, separately for each gender. ResultsSocietal secularism was not positively linked to either gender's loneliness. Associations with family ties were inconsistent, with only men's average partnered status lower in more secular settings. Nor did any positive indirect effects emerge. Moderation results were also inconsistent, with secularism only weakening linkages of some family dimensions with loneliness. Bayesian estimates were generally nonsignificant. DiscussionSocietal secularism may not be a risk factor for loneliness or for weak family ties. Results stand at odds with religious and political rhetoric on secularism-induced decline of the family, and its individual and societal consequences.