Survey looks at Romanians’ religious behavior, motivations for observing traditions

A recent survey conducted by Reveal Marketing Research analyzed the religious behavior among Romanians who declare themselves Christian-Orthodox and who believe in God.

The surveywas conducted online in June 2021, among 1,018 respondents who say they are Christian Orthodox and believe in God.

The survey found three typologies: practitioners (42%), non-practitioners (24%) and spiritualists (34%).

Prayer is most common among practitioners (68%). Also, 62% of non-practitioners have the habit of praying. Furthermore, 51% of the spiritualists say they usually pray. The practice of prayer is more widespread among women, with about 73% of women compared to 57% of men say it is part of their everyday life, the survey found. At the same time, 72% of those aged between 18 and 24 and 70% of those aged between 25 and 34 said they prayed.

The survey also found that making the sign of the cross when passing by a church (58%), observing holidays by not working in the household (65%), lighting candles (63%) and participating in services on important holidays (56%) are common habits among practitioners and non-practitioners.

Furthermore, 21% of the respondents said they observed the practice of fasting, while having a confessor and regular confession was a common practice among 10% of the respondents.

Respondents who were raised in religious families said that the reason for observing Christian traditions was their upbringing (61%). Another reason invoked was the love for God (58%), according to the survey. Other secondary motivations mentioned were that God helps those who observe Christian traditions (49%), a fear of God (35%), and final judgement (2%).

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