Social Work students’ attitudes toward religious diversity and perceptions of the relationship between religion and Social Work

Abstract

ABSTRACT In a world characterized by its cultural diversity, religion influences the beliefs, interpretations, actions and behaviors of many people. This study analyzes attitudes toward religious diversity among students of the Degree in Social Work at the University of Alicante (Spain), as well as their perceptions of the relationship between religion and Social Work. The study also analyzes associations between these students’ attitudes and perceptions and their biographical and contextual variables. Thus, the study’s design was of a descriptive and explanatory quantitative nature, and univariate and bivariate. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire comprised of nominal, ordinal and scale variables. 270 students participated, with an average age of 21.2 (SD = 4.57; range: 17–56), and most were women (86%). The results show that, in general, students harbor favorable attitudes toward religious diversity, especially the right to religious freedom, as well as toward public guarantees of religious freedom and equal treatment of people of all faiths. Regarding the relationship between religion and Social Work, students’ perceptions vary depending on their own characteristics. These results are relevant in the context of a discipline that, from a theoretical and professional point of view, has responsibilities in terms of cultural diversity management.