BERLIN -- Bad news for all those whoâ??d hoped Christianity might make a comeback now that the Cold War-era German Democratic Republic (DDR) is becoming an ever more distant memory. Atheism, according to a new study, is very much alive and well in the eastern part of Germany.
The statistics are most striking among those under 28 years old: more than 71% of eastern Germans in this age group say they have never believed in the existence of God. Thatâ??s nearly as many as in the 38-47 group, of which 72.6% are non-believers.
What the figures mean is that in eastern Germany, very young people are on the same wavelength as people from the middle generation when it comes to belief in God. The political transformation of former East Germany, in other words, hasnâ??t had much of an effect on peopleâ??s ideas about religion. While there are somewhat fewer atheists among young adults aged 28 to 37, where â??onlyâ? 63.6% say theyâ??ve never been believers, those in the following generation are at least as non-religious as their parents.
In a recently published study called Beliefs about God across Time and Countries, researchers working with sociologist Tom W. Smith of the University of Chicago, showed how belief in God has changed over time.
The researchers did not produce their own data, relying instead on results of the International Social Survey Program (ISSP) that â?? in 1991, 1998 and again in 2008 â?? researched the degree of religiosity in Christian-influenced countries around the world, from Australia to Israel, Russia to Cyprus.
