Attitudes of Polish Young Adults towards the Roman Catholic Church: A Sociological and Pastoral Analysis of Empirical Research among Young Adults and Teachers

Abstract

The article provides a sociological and pastoral analysis of a representative empirical study conducted by means of an interview questionnaire among 1003 secondary school students in 2020 and 2021. The analysis was expanded to include data from parallel and similarly designed sociological studies carried out among teachers of religious education in order to obtain a broader view of the research problems and a better understanding of young adults by becoming familiar with the perceptions and opinions of teachers on the analyzed issues. The article reflects on and discusses the following issues: personal relationships between young adults and the Church along with their expectations towards the latter, factors considered to persuade young adults to develop their faith and be part of the Church, as well as Church activities and offers regarded by the surveyed subjects as particularly needed. These issues, presented from an interdisciplinary perspective, provide a deeper insight into people’s relations with the Church and allow for diagnosis of their needs and expectations. They also enable identification of the elements and aspects of the functioning of the religious institution, which, in a pluralistic society and the course of the ever-advancing secularization, requires a profound diagnosis, a thorough analysis and questions about the adequacy of forms and methods of evangelisation, as well as ways of reaching the target audience and the fulfillment of the fundamental religious mission.