Twelfth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

This paper examines debates about religious identification and religious influence in Australian politics and society over the past two decades. Following the events of 11 September 2001, the country witnessed a flurry of interest in the influence of the Christian Right on domestic politics. But since then, particularly in response to the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (2013-2017), debate has shifted to speculation about declining trust in mainstream churches. In 2017 the legislation of Same Sex Marriage supported by a popular plebiscite seemed to put an end to debates about the enduring influence of religion in Australian politics , however the conservative government has persisted with its attempts to protect religious organisatiosn from discrimination claims through a Religious Freedoms Bill. Understanding the place of religiosity among Australians is crucial to navigating the post Royal Commission political landscape. We rely on Australian Election Study and International Social Survey Program data on religious identification and religiosity to make sense of politics. Key findings are: 1) the incidence of non-religious Australians has continued to rise (45% in 2019) and there is declining religious participation; 2) contrary to common perceptions, Australia is not the most secular rich democracy – several countries are less religious on key measures; and 3) there has been a decline in absolute and comparative terms in confidence in religious institutions in Australia.