Dutch who attend church, mosque more often volunteer

Dutch people who regularly attend their church or mosque are more often active as volunteers than their fellow-believers who don't attend religious services. Practicing religious Dutch are also more likely to have confidence in their fellow human beings and in civil society organizations, Statistics Netherlands reported on Friday.

In the period 2012 - 2017, 51.3 percent of the Dutch population aged 15 years or older considered themselves religious. 16.3 percent regularly attended a religious services. A quarter were Roman Catholic, 16 percent were protestant, 6.9 percent Dutch Reformed, 4.6 percent Muslim, and 3.3 percent Reformed. Nearly 6 percent belonged to another religion.

Practicing Protestants in particular were more active in society than their non-practicing fellow believers. Nearly 80 percent of practicing Protestants were active in an association and 56 volunteered at least once a year. Among their non-practicing counterparts, 53 percent were active in an association, and 45 percent volunteered.

Over 61 percent of Roman Catholics who regularly attend mass were active in an association, and 58.1 percent volunteered, compared to 48.4 and 47.6 percent of their non-practicing counterparts. And 46.4 percent of mosque-attending Muslims belonged to association and 34.9 percent volunteered, while the same was respectively true for 33.9 percent and 20.4 percent of Muslims who don't attend mosque. 

Among Dutch with no religious involvement, 46.2 percent were active in an association and 43.7 percent volunteered. 62.9 percent of all Dutch belonged to associations, and 49 percent volunteered.