The Role of Religion in Students' Lives: Religiosity vs. Cultural Tradition

Abstract

The paper gives an insight into the role of religion among the student population in the Republic of Macedonia, in particular their religious beliefs and religious affiliation, the role of religion in their families and their day-to-day living, and the extent of their religiosity. The findings in the paper rely on the data from the research project conducted in the period from 2013-2014. Throughout the paper, the pursuit of these issues is interlaced with a comparative analytical perspective involving the comparison of students’ religiosity by their ethnic belonging. The findings point out that there are major differences between the students in terms of their religiosity and the role of the religion in their day-today living belonging to the Macedonian majority, and students belonging to the Albanian ethnic community.