Abstract

In the first part of this article, the author analyses recent trends in the number of Belgian people affiliated to the Catholic Church, their church involvement, their belief structure and their moral commitment. It is argued that variations in these data can be ascribed to age, sex and work situation, which reflect degrees of involvement in a secularized world. In the second part, the author offers his explanation for the changes in religious commitment on the basis of processes of functional differentiation, specialization, segmentation and societalization.

How to Cite:

Dobbelaere, K., (1986) “De katholieke dominant”, Tijdschrift voor Sociologie 7(1-2), 209–238. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/sociologos.85940