Only one in 20 attends church because of faith
Most people go to church in Switzerland simply because it's something they have always done – only a few do so because they believe in God, a survey has found.
The poll, carried out by the research institute gfs-zürich for the Reformed Press weekly Protestant church newspaper, also revealed that around one in five younger members, aged 18 to 39, of Catholic and Protestant churches was considering leaving.
In all, 62 per cent of those asked said they belonged to their church out of habit and had no special reason. The older the person, the higher the percentage.
Around 28 per cent enjoyed church services, but only five per cent said that was because they believed in God. Seven per cent said they were concerned about what would happen when they die.
The survey was carried out in April via telephone interviews with 1,013 people, of whom 760 were church members.
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