New research has found that annual baptisms have fallen by 30 per cent over the past 10 years in Ireland. Source: Crux.
A briefing note from the Iona Institute, a Christian advocacy and research body, says falling births and the rise of secularism are the two driving causes of the decline, with the drop in birth rates accounting for approximately 60 per cent of the decrease.
In the 10-year period which the research looks at, it was also shown that births in the Republic of Ireland have fallen by 19.9 per cent, and 21.3 per cent in Northern Ireland. Overall, this is a decline of 18.8 per cent.
The report said the “biggest part of the decline [in baptisms] is accounted for by a fall in the number of births overall”.
“However, the effect of secularisation has been very significant, as we will see. The number of people who says they belong to no religion (the so-called ‘nones’) has been rising fast,” it added.
“In a way the figures are not a surprise given the rapidly falling number of births and growing secularisation,” Tom Finegan, chair of the Iona Institute, said.
“Given that births have fallen by almost a fifth in the last 10 years, and more people are ticking the ‘no religion’ box in the census,” Dr Finegan said, “we could expect nothing but a big drop in baptism figures.”
The Central Statistics Office found that in 2016, 78.3 per cent of children aged between 0-4 were marked in the census as Catholic, with 9.2 per cent having no religion. By 2022, these figures were respectively 65.4 per cent and 15.6 per cent.
The Dublin Archdiocese saw a fall of 40 per cent in the last 10 years. Dublin’s birth rates also fell by more than the average.
“The fall in baptisms must be seen not simply as the result of secularisation,” Dr Finegan also said, “but even more as a result of falling births. Ireland’s fertility rate is now just 1.5, well below the replacement level of 2.1. This should be of concern to everyone, regardless of religious belief.”
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