(LifeSiteNews) — Most Austrians see Christianity as an important part of the country’s cultural heritage.
According to a recent survey presented by Austrian Family Minister Claudia Plakolm, 69 percent of Austrians favor keeping crosses in public school classrooms even in areas with a non-Christian majority. Moreover, 79 percent said they want Christian (and specifically Catholic) holidays like St. Nicholas’ Day, Easter, and St. Martin’s Day to be celebrated in schools.
“There is a clear commitment to Christianity as a cultural heritage and to Christian festivals, even among those who are not Christians themselves,” said Johannes Klotz, the pollster responsible for conducting the survey.
More than 1,000 people with and without a migration background were interviewed for the survey in February. Most Austrians also rejected the idea of withdrawing from swimming lessons due to religious reasons. In practice, it is mostly Muslims who refuse to send their daughters to swimming lessons in school. Around 85 percent of Austrians said they give priority to state laws over religious ones.
However, while most Austrians do recognize Christian tradition as an important part of their heritage, only a small minority considers religion as an essential part of their personal lives.
Eight percent cited “faith and religion” as an essential fundamental value, while family (58 percent), self-determination (54 percent), and security (48 percent) dominate. Trust in religious communities is low in Austria at only 28 percent.
The Catholic faith has historically been the dominant religion in Austria for more than a millennium. In the early 1960s, almost 90 percent of the population was still Catholic; however, that number declined to 73 percent by 2001 and saw a significant drop to only around 50 percent in 2023.
At the same time, Islam has been on the rise due to mass migrations and higher birth rates of Muslims. According to a recent statistic, Islam is already the dominant religion in elementary and middle schools in Austria’s capital, Vienna. Approximately 41 percent of students in this age group are Muslim in the Austrian capital, while Christians only make up 34.5 percent (17.5 percent Catholic and 14.5 percent Orthodox).
