{"id":170929,"date":"2024-06-17T10:15:34","date_gmt":"2024-06-17T14:15:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?post_type=short-read&#038;p=170929"},"modified":"2024-08-19T10:29:34","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T14:29:34","slug":"6-facts-about-religion-and-spirituality-in-east-asian-societies","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2024\/06\/17\/6-facts-about-religion-and-spirituality-in-east-asian-societies\/","title":{"rendered":"6 facts about religion and spirituality in East Asian societies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"7d6d59\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #7d6d59;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.17_EastAsia_keyfindings_featured.jpg?resize=480,270 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.17_EastAsia_keyfindings_featured.jpg?resize=782,440 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.17_EastAsia_keyfindings_featured.jpg?resize=960,540 960w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.17_EastAsia_keyfindings_featured.jpg?resize=1200,675 1200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.17_EastAsia_keyfindings_featured.jpg?resize=1229,691 1229w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"360\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.17_EastAsia_keyfindings_featured.jpg?w=640\" alt=\"People pray at the Kushida-jinja Shinto shrine in Fukuoka, Japan, in August 2023. (Eric Lafforgue\/Art in All of Us\/Corbis via Getty Images)\" class=\"wp-image-170943 not-transparent\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">People pray at the Kushida-jinja Shinto shrine in Fukuoka, Japan, in August 2023. (Eric Lafforgue\/Art in All of Us\/Corbis via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many adults in East Asia and neighboring Vietnam have no religious affiliation. By some measures, the region seems like one of the least religious in the world. Yet many people in the region \u2013 including the religiously unaffiliated \u2013 hold religious or spiritual beliefs and engage in traditional rituals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These findings come from a 2023 <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/06\/17\/religion-and-spirituality-in-east-asian-societies\/\">Pew Research Center survey<\/a> of more than 10,000 adults in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam. This survey builds on previous Center studies on religion in <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2023\/08\/30\/measuring-religion-in-china\/\">China<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2021\/06\/29\/religion-in-india-tolerance-and-segregation\/\">India<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2023\/09\/12\/buddhism-islam-and-religious-pluralism-in-south-and-southeast-asia\/\">South and Southeast Asia<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are six key findings about religion and spirituality in East Asia and Vietnam.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"border-width:1px;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);--block-gap: inherit\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible has-background has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-border-color has-ui-beige-dark-border-color\" id=\"how-we-did-this\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/collapsible&quot;}\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;collapsibleId&quot;:&quot;how-we-did-this&quot;,&quot;isOpen&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-open=\"context.isOpen\" data-wp-init--scroll-into-view=\"callbacks.onInitScrollIntoView\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__title\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\"><div>How we did this<\/div><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__icon\"><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"context.isOpen\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-plus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-plus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!context.isOpen\" hidden><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-minus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-minus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__content\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This analysis is drawn from the Pew Research Center report <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/06\/17\/religion-and-spirituality-in-east-asian-societies\/\">&#8220;Religion and Spirituality in East Asian Societies.&#8221;<\/a> For that report, we surveyed 10,390 adults across East Asia and neighboring Vietnam. Local interviewers administered the survey in seven languages from June to September 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Interviews were conducted over the phone in four places: Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. In Vietnam, interviews took place face-to-face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This survey is part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/topic\/religion\/religious-demographics\/pew-templeton-global-religious-futures-project\/\">Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures project<\/a>, which analyzes religious change and its impact on societies around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Respondents were selected using a probability-based sample design. Data was weighted to account for different probabilities of selection and to align with demographic benchmarks for the adult population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more information, refer to the report\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/06\/17\/religion-in-east-asia-methodology\/\">methodology<\/a> and the full <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/PR_2024.06.17_religion-in-east-asia_topline.pdf\">survey questionnaire<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div style=\"border-width:1px;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);--block-gap: inherit\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible has-background has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-border-color has-ui-beige-dark-border-color\" id=\"how-we-define-east-asia\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/collapsible&quot;}\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;collapsibleId&quot;:&quot;how-we-define-east-asia&quot;,&quot;isOpen&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-open=\"context.isOpen\" data-wp-init--scroll-into-view=\"callbacks.onInitScrollIntoView\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__title\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\"><div>How we define East Asia<\/div><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__icon\"><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"context.isOpen\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-plus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-plus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!context.isOpen\" hidden><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-minus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-minus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__content\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Typically, East Asia is <a href=\"https:\/\/asiasociety.org\/countries-regions\/east-asia\">considered to encompass<\/a> China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea and Taiwan. In geopolitical terms, Vietnam is often categorized as part of Southeast Asia. But we surveyed Vietnam along with East Asia for several reasons, including its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Vietnam\/Vietnam-under-Chinese-rule\">historic ties to China<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/pdf\/j.ctv3zp043.6.pdf?refreqid=fastly-default%3A9a8fd9f6572644cbba3eff48ba5b2684&amp;ab_segments=&amp;origin=&amp;initiator=&amp;acceptTC=1\">Confucian traditions<\/a>. Moreover, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oxfordbibliographies.com\/display\/document\/obo-9780195393521\/obo-9780195393521-0015.xml\">Buddhists in Vietnam<\/a> practice the same strain of Buddhism (Mahayana) found across East Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Throughout this report, the term \u201cEast Asia\u201d refers to Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>When discussing trends throughout the broader \u201cregion,\u201d we include Vietnam.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For legal and logistical reasons, we did not survey several other places that are generally considered part of East Asia. At present, China does not allow <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chinafile.com\/ngo\/latest\/fact-sheet-chinas-foreign-ngo-law\">non-Chinese organizations<\/a> to conduct surveys on the mainland, and public opinion surveys are not possible in North Korea. Conducting nationally representative surveys in Mongolia is difficult due to the nomadic lifestyle of a large part of its people. We did not survey Macau because its population is relatively small.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Most people in the region say they either have no religion or identify as Buddhist. <\/strong>In three places surveyed, <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/06\/17\/religious-landscape-and-change-in-east-asia\/\">the religiously unaffiliated are the largest group<\/a>. Roughly half or more adults in Hong Kong (61%), South Korea (52%) and Vietnam (48%) say they have no religion. Substantial shares in Japan (42%) and Taiwan (27%) say the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Buddhism is also prevalent in the region: 46% of Japanese, 38% of Vietnamese and 28% of Taiwanese adults identify as Buddhist. In both South Korea and Hong Kong, 14% of adults are Buddhist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Substantial shares in South Korea and Hong Kong identify as Christian, and Taiwan has a sizable number of Daoists (also spelled Taoists).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Relatively few adults say religion is very important in their lives, but many hold spiritual beliefs. <\/strong>In the five places we surveyed, no more than 26% of adults say religion is <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/06\/17\/religion-as-a-way-of-life\/#personal-importance-of-religion\">very important in their lives<\/a>. However, most adults say they believe in god or unseen beings, like deities or spirits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-640-wide is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=170940\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e3eaec\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.17_EastAsia_keyfindings_1.png?resize=480,512 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.17_EastAsia_keyfindings_1.png?resize=782,834 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.17_EastAsia_keyfindings_1.png?resize=840,896 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"683\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.17_EastAsia_keyfindings_1.png?w=640\" alt=\"A bar chart showing that few East Asians consider religion very important in their lives, but many believe in god or unseen beings.\" class=\"wp-image-170940 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e3eaec; width:420px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many people also <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/06\/17\/beliefs\/#belief-in-spirits-inhabiting-the-physical-world\">view nature as having invisible spirits<\/a>. In Taiwan, Japan and Vietnam, about half of adults or more say they believe that mountains, rivers or trees have their own spirits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Religiously unaffiliated adults believe in god or unseen beings at lower rates than Christians and Buddhists do. However, at least four-in-ten unaffiliated adults in each place express these beliefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moreover, religiously unaffiliated people are generally <em>more<\/em> likely than Christians to believe that mountains, rivers or trees have their own spirits. For instance, in Hong Kong, 35% of unaffiliated adults say this, compared with 25% of Christians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Large shares participate in ancestor veneration rituals. <\/strong>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/03\/27\/dining\/tomb-sweeping-day-food.html\">spirits of ancestors are a common focus of rituals<\/a> in East Asia and Vietnam. Roughly half of adults or more in all places we surveyed say they have offered food, water or drinks to honor or take care of their ancestors in the last year. This practice is common among Buddhists and people who do not identify with a religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition, many adults in the region have burned incense, offered flowers or lit candles in the last year <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/06\/17\/ancestor-veneration-funerals-and-afterlife-beliefs\/\">to take care of ancestors<\/a>. These practices are most evident in Vietnam, where 96% of adults say they have burned incense and 90% have offered flowers or lit candles recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Praying or offering respects to religious figures or deities is fairly common in the region. <\/strong>Relatively few people in East Asia and Vietnam <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/06\/17\/practices\/#rates-of-prayer\">pray daily<\/a>. Daily prayer is more common in <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2021\/06\/29\/religious-practices-2\/#majorities-of-hindus-muslims-christians-and-jains-in-india-pray-daily\">South Asia<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2023\/09\/12\/religious-practices-southeast-asia\/#rates-of-prayer\">Southeast Asia<\/a>. But many East Asians and Vietnamese say they pray <em>at least occasionally<\/em>, and substantial shares also say they \u201cpray or offer their respects\u201d to religious figures or deities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOffering respects\u201d is commonly understood in the region as an act of worship or veneration. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jinjahoncho.or.jp\/en\/shrines\/index2.html\">It can take a variety of forms<\/a>, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Burning incense<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Offering food or drink<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Making wishes to a deity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bowing one\u2019s head<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Putting one\u2019s hands together<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In each place except Japan, most Buddhists say they pray or offer their respects to <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bl.uk\/asian-and-african\/2020\/02\/guanyin.html\"><em>Guanyin<\/em><\/a> \u2013 a folk deity associated with compassion \u2013 and to Buddha. Almost all Christians say they pray or offer respects to Jesus. (The survey also asked about <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/06\/17\/practices\/#venerating-religious-figures-and-deities\">praying or offering respects to other religious figures<\/a>, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Guandi\"><em>Guandi<\/em><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/ich.unesco.org\/en\/RL\/mazu-belief-and-customs-00227\"><em>Mazu<\/em><\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>People across the region generally view religion as a positive force in society. <\/strong>Majorities in Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam say that religion <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/06\/17\/religion-politics-and-society\/#religion-s-role-in-society\">helps society by giving people guidance<\/a> to do the right thing. In Japan, about half of adults take this position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-640-wide is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=170942\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e0e6e9\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"621\" height=\"826\"  sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.17_EastAsia_keyfindings_2.png?resize=480,638 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.17_EastAsia_keyfindings_2.png?resize=621,826 621w\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.17_EastAsia_keyfindings_2.png?w=621\" alt=\"A bar chart showing that many in East Asia and Vietnam say religion gives people moral guidance.\" class=\"wp-image-170942 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e0e6e9; width:310px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Across the region, Christians are somewhat more likely than other groups to see religion as a positive for society. In Hong Kong, for instance, 89% of Christians say religion guides people to do the right thing and treat others well, compared with 78% of Buddhists and 76% of the unaffiliated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Negative views about religion\u2019s role in society are not as widespread. Still, roughly four-in-ten each in Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea say religion encourages superstition and illogical thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In these places, <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/06\/17\/religion-and-spirituality-in-east-asian-societies\/#religion-translation\">the word \u201creligion\u201d<\/a> is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.degruyter.com\/document\/doi\/10.1515\/9783110547801-002\/html?lang=en\">often understood<\/a> to refer to organized, hierarchical forms of religion \u2013 such as Christianity or new religious movements \u2013 not to traditional Asian forms of spirituality. (\u201cReligion\u201d is commonly translated as <a href=\"http:\/\/afe.easia.columbia.edu\/cosmos\/bgov\/religion.htm\"><em>zongjiao<\/em><\/a> in Chinese, <a href=\"https:\/\/compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1111\/j.1749-8171.2011.00307.x\"><em>sh\u016bky\u014d<\/em><\/a> in Japanese and <a href=\"https:\/\/ceres.rub.de\/de\/forschung\/projekte\/characteristics-of-the-concept-de\/\"><em>jonggyo<\/em><\/a> in Korean.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Religious identification in the region is changing dramatically. <\/strong>Many adults in East Asia and Vietnam have switched away from their religious upbringing to no religion or to some other religion. The shares of adults who say this range from 17% in Vietnam to 53% each in Hong Kong and South Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most of this switching is disaffiliation. In some East Asian places, more than three-in-ten adults say they were raised in a religion but <a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/chapter\/10.1007\/978-981-99-5829-0_3\">now identify with none<\/a>. These rates of religious disaffiliation are <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/06\/17\/religion-and-spirituality-in-east-asian-societies\/#religious-switching-in-east-asia-compared-with-the-rest-of-the-world\">among the highest in the world<\/a>. Disaffiliation is much less common in Vietnam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-640-wide is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=170939\"><img data-dominant-color=\"efeae7\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.17_EastAsia_keyfindings_3.png?resize=480,531 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.17_EastAsia_keyfindings_3.png?resize=782,866 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.17_EastAsia_keyfindings_3.png?resize=840,930 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"709\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.17_EastAsia_keyfindings_3.png?w=640\" alt=\"A horizontal stacked bar chart showing that many East Asian adults who no longer identify with a religion were raised Buddhist.\" class=\"wp-image-170939 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #efeae7; width:420px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The departures are mostly from Buddhism, Christianity and Daoism. For instance, 14% of South Korean and Japanese adults report that they were brought up Buddhist but no longer identify with any religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other adults in the region have switched from their childhood religion to another religion. For example, 12% of adults in South Korea and 9% in Hong Kong currently identify as Christian but were raised in a different religious tradition or with no religious identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Note: For more information, refer to the report\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/06\/17\/religion-in-east-asia-methodology\/\">methodology<\/a> and the full <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/PR_2024.06.17_religion-in-east-asia_topline.pdf\">survey questionnaire<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many people in the region \u2013 including the religiously unaffiliated \u2013 hold religious or spiritual beliefs and engage in traditional rituals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":658,"featured_media":170943,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-06-17T14:15:44Z","apple_news_api_id":"7c1a4225-1b2f-4f33-887a-bc8f46b432fb","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-08-19T14:29:50Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AfBpCJRsvTzOIeryPRrQy-w","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"relatedPosts":[],"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"displayBylines":true,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0},"categories":[161,412,435],"bylines":[866],"collection":[],"datasets":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[467],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[507],"research-teams":[517],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-170929","short-read","type-short-read","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beliefs-practices","category-pew-templeton-global-religious-futures-project","category-religious-commitment","bylines-jonathan-evans","formats-short-read","regions-countries-asia-pacific","research-teams-religion"],"label":"Short Read","post_parent":0,"word_count":1304,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2024\/06\/17\/6-facts-about-religion-and-spirituality-in-east-asian-societies\/","art_direction":{"A1":{"id":170943,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.17_EastAsia_keyfindings_featured.jpg","url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/06\/SR_24.06.17_EastAsia_keyfindings_featured.jpg?w=564&h=317&crop=1","width":564,"height":317,"caption":"People pray at the Kushida-jinja Shinto shrine in Fukuoka, Japan, in August 2023. 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