State Without Religion?: An Empirical Study Among Religious and Humanist Youth in the Netherlands and Flanders

In recent decades, the Netherlands and Flanders have faced challenges in how to deal with a multicultural society. As far as worldviews are concerned, the question arises whether the state should guarantee a maximum level of choice concerning religion and humanism to individuals or leave a free space to the religious and humanist communities. This study explores in how far committed Catholic, Protestant, Muslim and humanist youth agree with different models of the relationship between worldviews and the state against the backdrop of their religious and humanist beliefs, as well as social determinants. It does so by drawing on quantitative and qualitative empirical research. The analyses show that, overall, most religious and humanist youth prefer the state to guarantee a maximum level of choice to individuals, but also want the state to respect a substantial free space for communities. Above all, they want the state to treat worldviews equally before the law. Their religious and humanist beliefs are the most significant determinants. Jeroen Jans (*1990) works at the Diocese of Hasselt and is a visiting researcher at Radboud University. He performed his doctoral research at the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies.