There is a literature concerning the extent to which religiosity is associated with civic attitudes and engagement among adults (Ben-Nun Bloom, Arikan & Vishkin, 2021; Pew, 2019). Even after controlling for many other variables, religious tradition and attendance of religious services tend to be related to civic participation (Ainley & Schulz, 2024; Storm, 2015; Wallman Lundasen, 2021). These associations also appear among secondary school students (Pancer, 2015). One interpretation is that religious participation encourages adherents to consider features of society (a world view) that they see as desirable and to promote those features through political engagement (Pancer, 2015: Pavolini, Béland & Jawad, 2017). Other research suggests associations between religious participation and civic disposition may depend on contextual factors such as the secularity of political systems(Zuckerman & Shook, 2017). This paper addresses the following research questions: 1. To what extent has religious attachment among lower secondary students changed across the three ICCS surveys in 2009, 2016 and 2022? 2. To what extent is religious background associated with measures of civic attitudes toward important topics in society (such as gender equality and satisfaction with the political system)? 3. To what extent is religious background associated with measures of expected civic engagement participation in the future? Using data from European countries participating the first three ICCS cycles we compare how young people’s religious attachment (affiliation with a religion, attendance of religious services, beliefs about the desirability of religious influence in society) developed over time between 2009 and 2022. Using all three indicators of religious attachment, we then explore their associations with selected civic attitudes (attitudes toward gender equality, satisfaction with the political system, and beliefs about threats to democracy) as well as indicators of expected future engagement (at school, in legal and illegal activities, and electoral and active political participation) For the analysis of associations we use correlations (across and within countries) as well as linear regression to control for social and personal background, school-related factors, and related attitudes (such as citizenship self-efficacy). Preliminary analyses showed decreases in religious attachment since 2009. Beliefs about religious influence showed negative associations with gender equality and perceptions of threats to democracy, and positive relationships with satisfaction with the political system and active political engagement.

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