Irreligion in New Zealand

Irreligion in New Zealand refers to atheism, agnosticism, deism, religious scepticism and secular humanism in New Zealand society. Post-war New Zealand has become a highly secular country, meaning that religion does not play a major role in the lives of most people.

Although New Zealand has no established religion, Christianity had been the most common religion since widespread European settlement in the 19th century.

Demographics

File:Religious_affiliation_in_New_Zealand_1991-2018_-_line_chart.svg

File:2013 NZ census people stating no religion by sex.gif

Statistics New Zealand gathers information on religious affiliation in the five-yearly census. Completing a census form is compulsory by law for every person in New Zealand on census night{{cite web|url=http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/about-census/participation.aspx|title=Participation in the Census|publisher=Statistics New Zealand|access-date=2010-06-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526202601/http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/about-census/participation.aspx|archive-date=2010-05-26|url-status=dead}} but respondents are able to object to answering the question of religious affiliation,{{cite web|url=http://www.stats.govt.nz/methods_and_services/surveys-and-methods/classifications-and-standards/classification-related-stats-standards/religious-affiliation/questionnaire-module.aspx|title=Religious Affiliation Questionnaire Model|publisher=Statistics New Zealand|access-date=2010-06-09|archive-date=2010-05-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100524121041/http://www.stats.govt.nz/methods_and_services/surveys-and-methods/classifications-and-standards/classification-related-stats-standards/religious-affiliation/questionnaire-module.aspx|url-status=dead}} and around 6% do object.[http://www.stats.govt.nz/~/media/Statistics/Publications/Census/2006-reports/quickstats-subject/Culture-Identity/quickstats-about-culture-and-identity-tables.ashx Table 28, 2006 Census Data – QuickStats About Culture and Identity – Tables] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724200044/http://www.stats.govt.nz/~/media/Statistics/Publications/Census/2006-reports/quickstats-subject/Culture-Identity/quickstats-about-culture-and-identity-tables.ashx |date=2011-07-24 }}. The trend shows an increasing proportion of residents in New Zealand declaring no religious affiliation. In the 1991 census, 20.2% were in this category.{{cite web|title=Diverse Communities – Exploring the Migrant and Refugee Experience in New Zealand|url=http://www.msd.govt.nz/documents/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/research/diverse-communities-migrant-experience/migrant-experience-report.pdf|publisher=Ministry of Social Development|access-date=7 January 2013}} The proportion more than doubled in two decades, reaching 41.9% in the 2013 census, and increased again to 48.2% in the 2018 census, when for the first time a plurality of New Zealanders claimed "no religion". This became a 51.6% majority in the 2023 census.{{cite web|url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/2018-Census-totals-by-topic/Download-data/2018-census-totals-by-topic-national-highlights.xlsx|title= 2018 Census totals by topic|publisher= Statistics New Zealand|format=Microsoft Excel spreadsheet|access-date=29 October 2019}}

There is significant debate among sociologists about the interpretation of this trend in census data.{{cite book | last = Olson | first = William. H. | title = The secularization debate | publisher = Rowman & Littlefield | year = 2000 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=2P_RJqdUYBAC | isbn = 9780742507616}} The increase in those indicating 'no religion' is often cited in support of the secularisation thesis. An alternative theory is that the data indicates a decline in institutional religious affiliation rather than simply a decrease in spiritual belief.{{cite book |last1=Ward |first1=Kevin |editor1-first=John |editor1-last=Stenhouse |title=The Future of Christianity: Historical, Sociological, Political and Theological Perspectives from New Zealand |year=2004 |publisher=AFT Press |location=Adelaide |pages=64–66 |chapter='No Longer Believing' – or – 'Believing without Belonging' }} A 1985 survey showed that around one-quarter of those answering 'no religion' may believe in a god and that, conversely, between 7% and 36% of Christians (depending on their denomination) did not believe in the existence of deities.{{cite web|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/atheism-and-secularism/3|title=Who is Secular|publisher=Ministry for Culture and Heritage|access-date=2010-06-09}}

The International Social Survey Programme was conducted in New Zealand by Massey University in 2008. It received mail-responses from around one thousand New Zealanders above the age of 18, surveying issues of religious belief and practice. The results of this survey indicated that 72% of the population believed in a god or a higher power, 15% were agnostic, and 13% were atheist (with a 3% margin of error).{{cite web|url=http://publicaddress.net/assets/files/ISSPReligioninNZ09.pdf|title=Religion In New Zealand: International Social Survey Programme|publisher=Massey University|access-date=2010-06-10}}

According to a report by the American Physical Society, religion may die out in New Zealand and eight other Western world countries.{{Cite web| title=Religion may become extinct in nine nations, study says| publisher=BBC | date=March 2011| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12811197 | access-date = January 7, 2013}}{{Cite journal| title=A mathematical model of social group competition with application to the growth of religious non-affiliation| journal=Physical Review Letters| volume=107| issue=8| date=January 2011| arxiv=1012.1375| last1= Abrams| first1=Daniel M.| last2= Yaple| first2=Haley A.| last3= Wiener| first3=Richard J.| doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.088701| bibcode=2011PhRvL.107h8701A| pmid=21929211| page=088701}}{{Cite web| title=Religion set for extinction in NZ, says US study| publisher=The New Zealand Herald | date=March 22, 2011| url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10714235 | access-date = January 7, 2013}}

As of the 2018 census, those who did not affiliate with a religion outnumbered those with a religion for the first time.

Irreligion in society

The Humanist Society of New Zealand and the New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists promote a secular view of life without reference to supernatural agencies as one of their aims.

A campaign to create advertisements similar to the Atheist Bus Campaign in the United Kingdom began a fund-raising drive on 10 December 2009,{{cite news |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/oddstuff/3149823/Theres-probably-no-God-coming-to-a-bus-near-you |title='There's probably no God' coming to a bus near you |author=Burns, Kelly |date=11 December 2009 |work=The Dominion Post |access-date=5 October 2011}} and reached its initial target of $10,000 in donations within 48 hours, making it one of the most successful atheist campaigns of all time.NZ Atheist Bus Campaign Blog [http://www.nogod.org.nz/2009/12/10000-and-growing-fast/ $10,000 and growing fast] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100602152816/http://www.nogod.org.nz/2009/12/10000-and-growing-fast/ |date=2010-06-02 }}

Māori and other ethnic groups

Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand notes, in 2013 "47% of people who identified themselves as Europeans or New Zealanders said they had no religion – as did 46% of Māori and 30% of Asians. Only 18% of Pacific peoples, and 17% of people in the Middle Eastern, Latin American and African ethnic groups, said they had no religion."{{cite encyclopedia |last=Walrond |first=Carl |title=Atheism and secularism |encyclopedia=Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/atheism-and-secularism/page-3 |publisher=New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage |date=4 April 2018 |access-date=3 February 2019 |language=en}}

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20090222184902/http://www.stats.govt.nz/people/arts/religion.htm Statistics New Zealand] – Religion page

New Zealand