Internet expansion linked to global decline in religious identity

A large-scale study spanning 81 countries has linked the expansion of internet access to a decline in religious affiliation and self-identification. Utilizing data from 1990 to 2022, researchers combined national internet usage metrics with six waves of the World Values Survey to analyze trends in secularization.

The research, led by Miran Lavrič of the University of Maribor and published in Sociology of Religion: A Quarterly Review, suggests that digital infrastructure acts as an independent factor in religious decline, separate from traditional modernization drivers like wealth and urbanization. The findings indicate that as internet penetration grows, countries tend to see a decrease in both formal membership in religious communities and personal religious identity.

Sociologists suggest several mechanisms for this trend, including increased exposure to diverse worldviews, easier access to scientific information, and the ability to question traditional authorities. Additionally, digital networks may replace the local, in-person communities that traditionally sustain religious participation.