Religion and social integration: a longitudinal study of recent immigrants

Presenter: Mieke Maliepaard, Universiteit van Utrecht, the Netherlands

Author: Mieke Maliepaard

The claim that religion, and particularly Islam, forms a bright boundary in European society has resonated with the scientific community. At the same time, empirical support that over time, religion forms a boundary for the social integration of minorities into host societies is lacking. On the basis of unique longitudinal data collected among recent immigrants in four European countries, we test the relation between religious orthopraxy (in terms of attendance and prayer) and social integration in terms of social contacts as well as friendships. We are able to differentiate between Muslim immigrants, who form a minority religious group in all countries, and Christian immigrants, who share their religion with (parts of) the majority. Positive intergroup contacts between minority and majority populations are increasingly seen as a key factor in diminishing the emergence of so-called ‘parallel societies’, as they breed more positive intergroup relations. Our results indicate that more religious immigrants do not develop fewer friendships or social contacts with majority group members over time. Conversely, migrants who engage in intergroup friendships early on, do not become less religious over time. These results hold for both Christian and Muslim groups. These findings indicate that in terms of social integration into European host societies, religiosity is not the bright boundary it is thought to be.