Dealignment and secularization: Religious voting in Sweden, 1988-2022

This study investigates religious dealignment in Sweden by analyzing changes in the correlation between attendance at religious services and party preferences from the late 1980s to the early 2020s, in conjunction with key indicators of secularization. The study addresses three research questions: 1. Has the frequency of religious service attendance among Swedes decreased? 2. Has the religious commitment of regular attendees at religious services declined in Sweden? 3. Has the correlation between Swedes’ party preferences and religious service attendance weakened? The data consist of surveys of Swedish voters conducted 1988-2023. The findings indicate increased religious dealignment and secularization among the already extremely secular Swedish population. The proportion of voters who attend religious services decreases and the relation between attendance at religious services and party preferences declines. However, this dealignment is not explained by internal secularization among regular attendees of religious services.