Conrad Hackett 

NEW REPORT: Measuring Religion in China

Many Chinese adults practice religion or hold religious beliefs, but only 1 in 10 formally identify with a religion.

https://pewresearch.org/religion/2023/08/30/measuring-religion-in-china/ 🧵

Measuring Religion in China

Only one-in-ten Chinese adults formally identify with a religion, but surveys indicate that religion plays a much bigger role in China when the definition is widened to include questions on spirituality, customs and traditional beliefs.

Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project
Aug 30, 2023 at 2:08pmWeb
Show threadConrad Hackett Aug 30, 2023
75% of Chinese adults say they visited gravesites of family members at least once in the last year
Show threadConrad Hackett Aug 30, 2023
47% of Chinese adults say they believe in fengshui
Show thread人各如谜ver2.1 *know your kinks*Aug 30, 2023
@conradhackett since when visiting gravesites is religious I’m confused
Show threadConrad Hackett Aug 30, 2023
@miiiiii see discussion here https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/08/30/is-china-a-religious-country-or-not-its-a-tricky-question-to-answer/
Is China a religious country or not? It’s a tricky question to answer

Based on formal religious identity, China is the least religious country in the world - with just 10% of Chinese adults self-identifying with a religion.

Pew Research Center
Show threadSpace HoboAug 30, 2023
@conradhackett This is a pretty common attitude in East Asia. The idea is that religion is a casual practice unless you're a monk and dedicate your life to it. The notion of a strict religious identity adhered to by everyday people is a pretty Western thing.
Show threadSpace HoboAug 30, 2023
@conradhackett Japanese people will, as an example, respond to personal crises by donating to Shinto shrines, making offerings at Buddhist temples, lighting candles at Christian churches, etc. Few think of these religions as places where the laity needs to express loyalty or devotion, but rather as public services to help the material world petition and commune with the worlds beyond.