Post by m18611136959 on Nov 23, 2018 6:54:16 GMT
A global independent network, WIN-Gallup? International, concluded with a survey earlier this year that the survey included more than 50,000 people from 57 countries. In China, 47% of people think they are atheists, 30% don't believe in religion, and 14% say they believe in religion.
This is in stark contrast to the rest of the world. Overall, only 13% of respondents thought they were atheists; 23% said they were not religious and 59% said they believed. According to the survey, the proportion of atheists is relatively close to that of China, with only Japan, France and the Czech Republic, each with around 30%. No other country is more than 15%.
Since the results were announced in April, the survey has been widely reported by the global media, attracting the attention of the Washington Post, The Daily Telegraph, and the Huffington Post, as well as blog predictions. The atheistic trend is on the rise, mainly because the survey shows that there are a large number of atheists in China.
Since then, however, experts have been questioning why this result is quite different from what many researchers have seen on the ground. People who travel to China often notice that temples, churches, and mosques are increasing, and top scholars say that religion is revival.
Ijaz Gilani, head of global public opinion research at Gallup and living in Switzerland, said his response to Chinese atheists is high and there are doubts. He said that at first he thought it might be related to China being a post-communist country (or a post-Maoist country). But again, most post-communist countries do not have so many atheists.
"This makes me very confused," Gilani said. “But then I noticed that this phenomenon is quite common in East Asia.” In Japan, 62% of respondents said that they are either atheists or unbelievers; in South Korea, the figure is 56%. Hong Kong is 70%.
Yang Fenggang, director of the Center for Religious and Chinese Social Studies at Purdue? University, believes that the answer is definitely related to the problem. The Chinese word "religion" was borrowed from Japanese in the 19th century, and the latter was translated from German.
In East Asia, religious beliefs and practices have long been an integral part of everyday life. Modern countries have segregated religion into an independent field, so a new word is needed. Religion was a controversial topic in China in the 20th century. Under the Kuomintang and later Communist Party rule, religion became a narrow, highly politicized word, usually referring to formal organizations and institutions.
“‘Religion’ is a controversial word in China,” said Professor Yang Fenggang. "It is necessary to figure out what the problem is."
Global Independent Network - Gallup asks respondents from each country who consider themselves to be "a religious person", "not a religious person", or a "firm atheist". The fourth option is "I don't know / don't respond".
“Faith religion is a very formal word,” said Yang Fenggang. "People's reaction to this may not be as good as what the researchers want."
Robert Weller, a professor of anthropology at Boston University, says that “believing in religion” may be understood as the five officially recognized religions in China—Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestantism, and Catholicism. - the official believer. Most Chinese believe in a mixture of Buddhism, Taoism, and folk customs, often referred to as “traditional beliefs,” or simply “faith,” avoiding relationships with controversial “religions.”
Weller said the method used in this survey may also have problems. In China, it is done through the Internet – this medium has become more and more real-named here. “The response rate of ‘firm atheist’ may be so high because everyone knows that this is an official dictation,” Weiler said.
These possible problems echo the findings of the Pew? Research Center's Global Attitudes? Project last year, that is, most Chinese do not believe that the belief in God is moral. Necessary prerequisites. This result of China was deleted in the final report.
However, as Gilani said, the global independent network - Gallup's polls are still of great value. It is divided according to age, education level and income level. Among Chinese respondents under the age of 30 (including 30 years old), the response rate of “firm atheist” and “not a religious person” is only 56%, and over 70 years old (including 70 years old) 90%. This shows that the younger generation of Chinese people are more inclined to abandon the atheism, which is still used today.
“In other parts of the world, the understanding of the survey is more consistent,” Gilani said. “The feedback from East Asia is more complicated, but I can still see something from it.”
This is in stark contrast to the rest of the world. Overall, only 13% of respondents thought they were atheists; 23% said they were not religious and 59% said they believed. According to the survey, the proportion of atheists is relatively close to that of China, with only Japan, France and the Czech Republic, each with around 30%. No other country is more than 15%.
Since the results were announced in April, the survey has been widely reported by the global media, attracting the attention of the Washington Post, The Daily Telegraph, and the Huffington Post, as well as blog predictions. The atheistic trend is on the rise, mainly because the survey shows that there are a large number of atheists in China.
Since then, however, experts have been questioning why this result is quite different from what many researchers have seen on the ground. People who travel to China often notice that temples, churches, and mosques are increasing, and top scholars say that religion is revival.
Ijaz Gilani, head of global public opinion research at Gallup and living in Switzerland, said his response to Chinese atheists is high and there are doubts. He said that at first he thought it might be related to China being a post-communist country (or a post-Maoist country). But again, most post-communist countries do not have so many atheists.
"This makes me very confused," Gilani said. “But then I noticed that this phenomenon is quite common in East Asia.” In Japan, 62% of respondents said that they are either atheists or unbelievers; in South Korea, the figure is 56%. Hong Kong is 70%.
Yang Fenggang, director of the Center for Religious and Chinese Social Studies at Purdue? University, believes that the answer is definitely related to the problem. The Chinese word "religion" was borrowed from Japanese in the 19th century, and the latter was translated from German.
In East Asia, religious beliefs and practices have long been an integral part of everyday life. Modern countries have segregated religion into an independent field, so a new word is needed. Religion was a controversial topic in China in the 20th century. Under the Kuomintang and later Communist Party rule, religion became a narrow, highly politicized word, usually referring to formal organizations and institutions.
“‘Religion’ is a controversial word in China,” said Professor Yang Fenggang. "It is necessary to figure out what the problem is."
Global Independent Network - Gallup asks respondents from each country who consider themselves to be "a religious person", "not a religious person", or a "firm atheist". The fourth option is "I don't know / don't respond".
“Faith religion is a very formal word,” said Yang Fenggang. "People's reaction to this may not be as good as what the researchers want."
Robert Weller, a professor of anthropology at Boston University, says that “believing in religion” may be understood as the five officially recognized religions in China—Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestantism, and Catholicism. - the official believer. Most Chinese believe in a mixture of Buddhism, Taoism, and folk customs, often referred to as “traditional beliefs,” or simply “faith,” avoiding relationships with controversial “religions.”
Weller said the method used in this survey may also have problems. In China, it is done through the Internet – this medium has become more and more real-named here. “The response rate of ‘firm atheist’ may be so high because everyone knows that this is an official dictation,” Weiler said.
These possible problems echo the findings of the Pew? Research Center's Global Attitudes? Project last year, that is, most Chinese do not believe that the belief in God is moral. Necessary prerequisites. This result of China was deleted in the final report.
However, as Gilani said, the global independent network - Gallup's polls are still of great value. It is divided according to age, education level and income level. Among Chinese respondents under the age of 30 (including 30 years old), the response rate of “firm atheist” and “not a religious person” is only 56%, and over 70 years old (including 70 years old) 90%. This shows that the younger generation of Chinese people are more inclined to abandon the atheism, which is still used today.
“In other parts of the world, the understanding of the survey is more consistent,” Gilani said. “The feedback from East Asia is more complicated, but I can still see something from it.”