Convergence and Divergence: Religious Identities of Children of Immigrants in Western Europe

This paper analyzes the development of multiple facets of a religious identity in adolescence for children and grandchildren of immigrants in Western Europe. Immigration theorists argue that, in Europe, bright boundaries separate religions, a dynamic that can lead to pan-ethnic religious identities. However, no research has analyzed changes in religious identity over time for children of immigrants in multiple European countries. I use latent growth analysis to model changes in identities throughout adolescence with the only longitudinal data available on children of immigrants in multiple European countries (the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Survey of Four European Countries, 2010-13). I find that Christian children of immigrants and religious natives have the lowest levels of religiosity over time, while Muslims and children from other religions experience higher religiosity during middle school. While most religious children experience a process of secularization during adolescence, this is not the case for Muslims, who experience a constant level of religious behavior across time. Among children of immigrants, subjective importance given to religion, and not religious behavior, is closely tied to national-origins. This paper provides insight on the changes in religiosity during adolescence, a critical time for identity development, and demonstrates the uniqueness of a Muslim religious identity in Europe