Századvég: The majority would preserve Europe's Christian culture

Shedding new light on the matter, Századvég Foundation’s survey revealed that a clear majority (78 percent) are worried about the influx of illegal immigrants and that 56 percent think Europe's Christian traditions should be preserved.

Results clearly indicate that protecting Christian culture and roots is important to the majority of Europeans, regardless of where they live.

These response rates are consistent with the findings of the 2019-2021 survey. If only the EU27 and the UK are considered, 56 percent favor preserving Christian traditions, while the proportion in favor of secularization is 34 percent.

Christian identity is still an important marker in Western Europe, even among those who rarely attend church.

This is not merely a “nominal” identity devoid of practical significance, as the religious, political, and cultural views of non-practicing Christians frequently differ from those of church-going Christians and non-religious adults. And yet, according to the Századvég Foundation's 2022 poll, the decline in traditional religiosity does not imply that religion and the values it represents are no longer important to Europeans.

Religion has a profound and long-lasting impact on our culture, even when it takes on a more secular guise. Religion, as a social marker, continues to shape identity and form a religious culture that, regardless of the intensity of religious practice, shapes the majority of Europeans' thinking.

And this cultural core we share is being put under tremendous pressure by illegal migration.

Europe is connected through a common understanding of our world, shaped by centuries of shared history, culture and religion. But the leftist elite of Brussels, with their globalized, overwhelmingly secularized, pro-migration worldview, dismisses the common heritage that makes us who we are.

This perception is consistent with the volume of illegal immigration, which in 2022 hit the highest level since 2016. Between January and November 2022, it was predicted that at least 308,000 illegal entries were discovered at the external borders of the European Union.

With 78 percent of all Europeans, even societies that are traditionally pro-migration and humanitarian in their outlook, such as Sweden (78 percent) Germany (75 percent), France (73 percent) and the Netherlands (68 percent), the majority finds the situation increasingly worrying.

Frontex has defined the threat posed by illegal migration as “cross-border crime and terrorism; the use of immigration as a tool for political pressure.” With the numerous, long-term repercussions of the war in Ukraine exacerbating these risks, we face a grim portrait of the future for Europeans.

Criminal networks engaged in migrant smuggling continue to show their flexibility and adaptability by reacting quickly to changes in demand, market conditions, and law enforcement tactics.

The worries of European citizens are valid and supported by first-hand experience, which makes the results of Századvég’s survey not that surprising at all.