Exploring Religious Identities in 2020s China: Prevalence and Boundaries

Abstract

This study explores religious identities in China by drawing representative samples in 2024 from two ideal-typical regions, Manchuria and Guangdong. The results show that the majority (over 50%) chose “neither atheist nor religious believer,” but only 13% solely identified as atheists. At least one-third of the population identified with a religion, with Buddhism being the largest religious identity and a considerable proportion having syncretic identifications. There was a significantly higher prevalence of Christianity in Manchuria (4.5% or 11.4% depending on criteria) and a significantly higher prevalence of folk religion in Guangdong (4.7% or 7.8%). Tetrachoric correlations reveal tighter religious boundaries in Guangdong and more porous boundaries in Manchuria. In Guangdong, some religious identities were significantly associated with ethnocultural identities, whereas few such religious-ethnocultural associations exist in Manchuria. We also found an associative block among Christianity, Islam, Confucianism, and Daoism in both places, wherein individuals identifying with one of these religions were likely to have families from all four religions. In terms of identification, there is no evidence for Eastern religions being more syncretic than Christianity.