A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF RELIGIOSITY IN CROATIA AND SERBIA

In this paper we compare religiosity (denomination, self-declared religiosity, and religious practice) among the citizens of Croatia and Serbia. After the dissolution of Yugoslavia, Croatia and Serbia followed their own specific paths of development, but they still had something in common, and that was rising religiosity. Thirty years on, this rising religiosity has found a place in the very tissue of the studied societies. By interpreting the data from various empirical studies carried out over the past fifteen years (EVS 2008, 2017, INVENT culture 2021), we would like to point out the similarities and differences in the rising religiosity of believers in both countries, as well as in the types of religiosity. The aim is to identify the trends in religiosity in these societies (an increase or decrease in the number of believers, the level of religious practice, and changes in the typology and profile of the practitioners). The conducted analyses indicate that Croatia is approaching the ,,European model" with a large number of secularized and spiritual believers, but there is also a ,,counter-movement" intensifying religious practices. In Serbia, church religiosity is strengthening, accompanied by a persistently high level of religious identification without practice.