The Nonreligious in South Korea

Abstract

This paper is an explorative study for understanding non-religious people in Korean society. To do this, 1) it describes roughly who the non-religious people are in Korean society based on the results of the census, 2) proposes more detailed categories for the analysis of non-religious people, and 3) reviews the basic characteristics of non-religious groups by the available data of KGSS. Census analysis shows that males and younger age groups (under 30s) account for a large proportion of non-religious people. By region, Gwangju, Jeonnam, and Chungcheong were the highest, but the growth rate were the most prominent in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam. In addition, according to the estimates considering the distribution of residential areas by class, there seems to be less non-religious people and less of an increase in the upper class. For a more detailed analysis of non-religious people, this study presents subcategories of anti-theists, a-theists, non-theists, and semi-theists, and analyses data related to the ratios and demographic characteristics of each type based on KGSS. According to this research, among the four types presented in this study, the highest group is atheists, followed by semitheists, antitheists, and nontheists. And nontheists in 2018 compared to 2008 has increased significantly. Regarding demographic characteristics, antitheists are more prominent among males and very progressive people than it is in religious people.이 논문은 2019년 서울신학대학교 교내 연구비 지원에 의한 논문