NCSR 2008 - Urban Diversity and Religious Traditions
13-15 August 2008, Åbo Akademi University

The church as an agent of welfare – opinions and attitudes. Some results form a survey in the case of Gävle

Anders Sjöborg

The purpose of this paper is to present results from a survey among the population in the Swedish municipality of Gävle. The survey was conducted in 2005 as a part of the larger project Welfare and Religion in a European Perspective (WREP). Focusing people’s attitudes concerning membership in clubs and associations and participation in different kinds of voluntary work, as well inside as outside organizations, the survey supplies interesting possibilities to discuss what role religious as well as other agents of welfare play in a local setting. Data on organizational affiliation, different kinds of voluntary work, religious attitudes and expectations on the role of the Church of Sweden as welfare provider, are scrutinized using i.e. the concept of social capital.