Majority of Germans are 'less religious'

The majority of Germans say religion plays no role in their life, Deutsche Welle (DW) has reported.

According to a poll released on Thursday, some 61 percent of Germans said the religion was either "not important," or "not at all important," while only 33 percent said it was important to them, according to DW.

The poll surveyed more than 2,000 people across all age ranges in all German states.

Some 30 percent of respondents described themselves as "devout" or "very devout," while 35 percent said they were "not devout at all."

The eastern states of Germany, in particular, have a high proportion of people who describe themselves as "not at all religious," according to the poll.

Meanwhile, the regions with most people describing themselves as devout were the southern German states of Bavaria and Baden-Wurttemberg (35 percent) and western states (32 percent). Only about 21 percent of people in eastern states gave this description. DW reported.

Indecisive youth

Younger people were less likely to give a decisive statement about how important religion was to them.

The survey suggested younger people were more upbeat than others in their assessment of the role of faith.

Some 16 percent of young people agreed with the thesis: "The religions of this world contribute to making the world more just."

That compared with about 12 percent of people across all age groups. Well over half disagreed, and 26 percent were undecided on the issue.

For most devout Germans (75 percent), the coronavirus pandemic has done nothing to change their faith, it was also reported.

Among younger Germans, some 12 percent said their faith had become stronger during the pandemic — about twice the number compared with older voters.

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