Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The dynamics of religious mobility: investigating the patterns and sociodemographic characteristics of religious affiliation and disaffiliation in a Brazilian sample

  • Original Papers
  • Published:
International Journal of Latin American Religions Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Little research has been done in Brazil regarding religious mobility, that is, the patterns of religious conversion and disaffiliation, the ways in which one moves from one religion to another or from religion to non-religion. This study aimed to investigate the patterns of religious affiliation and disaffiliation in a sample of the Brazilian population and the association of such patterns with sociodemographic characteristics. The sample consisted of 1.169 participants (mean age = 40.84, sd = 15.34). Our results showed that two-thirds of the religious believers have maintained their affiliation over time. However, more than one-third of participants reported that they have switched religions, have left their religion to become non-religious, or have switched from non-religion to religion. Females tend to switch religions more often than males. But depending on the original affiliation, participants avoided certain religions. Catholics were less likely to become Protestants or Unaffiliated. Protestants were less likely to become Catholics or members of mediumistic religions. Members of Spiritism, Umbanda, or Candomblé were less likely to become Catholics. Most Atheists and Agnostics comprised respondents who had initially been religious. These findings suggest that religious mobility depends, at least in part, on the influence of previous religious involvements.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Almeida R, Monteiro P (2001) Trânsito religioso no Brasil. São Paulo em Perspectiva 15(3):92–101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bargsted M, Somma NM, Valenzuela E (2019) Atheism and nonreligion in Latin America, Geography. In: Gooren H (ed) Encyclopedia of Latin American Religions. Springer Nature, pp 137–142

  • Birman P, Leite MP (2000) Whatever happened to what used to be the largest Catholic country in the world? Daedalus 129(2):271–290

    Google Scholar 

  • Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (2010) Instituto Brasileiro de Geografìa e Estatística. Retrieved from: https://biblioteca.ibge.gov.br/visualizacao/periodicos/94/cd_2010_religiao_deficiencia.pdf. Accessed 23 Jul 2020.

  • Bullivant S, Farias M, Lanman J, Lee L (2019) Understanding unbelief: atheists and agnostics around the world. Interim findings from 2019 research in Brazil, China, Denmark, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. St. Mary’s University, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Camargo CPF (1961) Kardecismo e Umbanda. São Paulo, Livraria Pioneira

    Google Scholar 

  • Carvalho FCG, Paiva MLSC (2010) O olhar de três gerações de mulheres a respeito do casamento. Boletim de Psicologia 131:223–235

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa ER (2013) Religiosidades em trânsito: as motivações declaradas por mulheres e homens para a mobilidade religiosa na IEAD-MSBC. Mandrágora 19(19):17–44

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coutinho RZ, Golgher AB (2014) The changing landscape of religious affiliation in Brazil between 1980 and 2010: age, period, and cohort perspectives. Rev Bras Estud Popul 31(1):73–98

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson A (2007) New era – new religions: religious transformation in contemporary Brazil. Ashgate Publishing Ltd, Hampshire

    Google Scholar 

  • Ecklund EH, Park JZ (2009) Conflict between religion and science among academic scientists? J Sci Stud Relig 48(2):276–292

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Enstedt D, Larsson G, Mantsinen TT (2020) Leaving religion: introducing the Ffield. In: Enstedt D, Larsson G, Mantsinen TT (eds) Handbook of leaving religion. Leiden, Brill, pp 1–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Frias ER, Ribeiro RY (2016) A professora destruiu minha pulseira de Orixá e todo mundo riu: o psicólogo escolar diante da discriminação religiosa. In Conselho Regional de Psicologia de São Paulo (ed.) Laicidade, Religião, Direitos Humanos e Políticas Públicas (Coleção Psicologia, Laicidade e as Relações com a Religião e a Espiritualidade, volume 1). CRP-SP, São Paulo, pp. 209-213

  • Garcia A, Maciel MG (2008) A influência da religião na busca do futuro cônjuge: um estudo preliminar em comunidades evangélicas. Psicologia Teoria e Prática 10(1):95–112

    Google Scholar 

  • Giumbelli E (2003) O “baixo espiritismo” e a história dos cultos mediúnicos. Horizontes antropológicos 9(19):247–281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gooren H (2010) Religious conversion and disaffiliation: tracing patterns of change in faith practices. Palgrave Macmillan, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hess DJ (1991) Spirits and scientists: ideology, Spiritism, and Brazilian culture. The Pennsyvalnia State University Press, Pennsyvalnia

    Google Scholar 

  • Jesus WLC (2016) Trânsito religioso: um estudo de caso em uma igreja pentecostal de Goiânia. Dissertação (Mestrado em Ciências da Religião). 166f. Goiás: Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás

  • Lehrer EL (2004) Religion as a determinant of economic and demographic behavior in the United States. Instit Labor Econ - Discuss Pap 1390:1–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Loveland MT (2003) Religious switching: preference development, maintenance, and change. J Sci Study Relig 42(1):147–157

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maraldi EO (2014a) Dissociação, crença e identidade: Uma perspectiva psicossocial (dissociation, belief and identity: a psychosocial perspective). Doctoral thesis (Social Psychology). São Paulo, Brazil: Institute of Psychology, University of São Paulo. Available at: http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/47/47134/tde-18032015-105415/

  • Maraldi EO (2014b) Medium or author? A preliminary model relating dissociation, paranormal belief systems and self-esteem. J Soc Psych Res 78:1–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Mariano R (2013) Mudanças no campo religioso brasileiro no censo 2010. Debates do NER 14(24):119–137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mariano R (2014) Neopentecostais: sociologia do novo pentecostalismo no Brasil, 5th edn. São Paulo, Edições Loyola

  • Montero P, Dullo E (2014) Ateísmo no Brasil: da invisibilidade à crença fundamentalista. Novos estudos - CEBRAP 100:57–79

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Montero P, Quintanilha R (2019) Atheism in Brazil. In: Gooren H (ed) Encyclopedia of Latin American Religions. Springer Nature, pp 142-146

  • Morello G (2019) Why study religions from a Latin American sociological perspective? An introduction to religious issue, “religion in latin america, and among latinos abroad”. Religions 10(399):1–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Musik M, Wilson J (1995) Religious switching for marriage reasons. Sociol Relig 56(3):257–270

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Novaes RCR (2004) Os jovens sem Religião. Estudos Avançados 52:321–330

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paloutzian RF, Richardson JT, Rambo LR (1999) Religious conversion and personality change. J Pers 67(6):1047–1079

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peres MFP, Oliveira AB, Leão FC, Vallada H, Moreira-Almeida A, Lucchetti G (2018) Religious landscape in Brazil: comparing different representative nationwide approaches to obtain sensitive information in healthcare research. SSM – Population Health 6:85–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peres MFP, Swerts D, Belitardo de Oliveira A, Leão FC, Lucchetti ALE, Vallada H, Maraldi EO, Toniol R, Lucchetti G (2020) Mental health and quality of life among adults with single, multiple, and no religious affiliation. J Nerv Ment Dis 208(4):288–293

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pew Research Center (2014) Report: religion in Latin America: widespread change in a historically catholic region. Pew Research Center, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Prandi R (2012) Os mortos e os vivos: uma introdução ao espiritismo. São Paulo, Três Estrelas

    Google Scholar 

  • Santos RD (2012) Os sem religião nos censos brasileiros: sinal de uma crise do pertencimento religioso. Horizonte 10(28):1130–1153

    Google Scholar 

  • Santos HC (2015) Entre Candomblé, Pentecostalismo e Neopentecostalismo: uma análise etnográfica sobre o trânsito religioso. Dissertação (Mestrado em Ciências Sociais). Espírito Santo, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo

  • Streib H, Keller B (2004) The variety of deconversion experiences: contours of a concept in respect to empirical research. Arch Psychol Relig 26(1):181–200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Streib H, Klein C (2013) Atheists, agnostics, and apostates. In: Pargament K (ed) Handbook of psychology, religion, and spirituality. American Psychological Association, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Usarski F (2002) Brazil. In: Melton G, Baumann M (eds.) Religions of the world: a comprehensive encyclopedia of beliefs and practices (4 vols). Santa Barbara, pp. 163-168

  • Zuckerman P, Galen LW, Pasquale FL (2016) The nonreligious: understanding secular people and societies. Oxford University Press, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Estudos Pós-Graduados em Ciência da Religião, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, Rua Ministro Godoy, 969, 4°. andar - Sala 4E-09. Perdizes,, Sao Paulo, SP, 05015-901, Brazil

    Everton de Oliveira Maraldi

  2. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Antropologia Social, Universidade de Campinas,,, R. Cerro Corá, 1153, ap. 22, Vila Romana, Campinas,, Sao Paulo, SP, 05061-250, Brazil

    Rodrigo Ferreira Toniol

  3. Faculdade Israelita de Ciências da Saúde Albert Einstein (FISCAE), Rua Gomes Leal, n41, ap 82,, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Diego Belarmino Swerts

  4. Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Av. Eugenio do Nascimento s/n – Bairro Dom Bosco, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, 36038-330, Brazil

    Giancarlo Lucchetti

  5. Instituto de Psiquiatra do HC-FM-USP, Av. Ovídio Pires de Campos 785, Sao Paulo, SP, 05403-903, Brazil

    Frederico Camelo Leão & Mario Fernando Prieto Peres

Authors
  1. Everton de Oliveira Maraldi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Rodrigo Ferreira Toniol
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Diego Belarmino Swerts
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Giancarlo Lucchetti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Frederico Camelo Leão
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Mario Fernando Prieto Peres
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mario Fernando Prieto Peres.

Ethics declarations

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Albert Einstein Hospital (São Paulo, Brazil), and all participants provided an online informed consent.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Maraldi, E.d.O., Toniol, R.F., Swerts, D.B. et al. The dynamics of religious mobility: investigating the patterns and sociodemographic characteristics of religious affiliation and disaffiliation in a Brazilian sample. Int J Lat Am Relig 5, 133–148 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41603-020-00107-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41603-020-00107-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation