Internal migration and religious participation among Vietnamese Catholics

Abstract

Many studies have shown that the residence changes led to the parish's conversion, affecting the practicing of religious rituals. However, the relationship between internal migration and religious participation has remained a study gap in Vietnam which has witnessed many migration flows. Therefore, the present study will aim to 1) describe the characteristics of Catholic migrants and clarify the religious participation level of Catholic migrants; 2) define the religious participation level of Catholic migrants, and 3) analyze the challenges for migrants to maintain religious life at the destination. By collecting the quantitative and qualitative data, the research results indicated that the feminization of migration is typically in the Catholic community; the average age of Catholic migrants is young, and the marriage rate and technical qualification are relatively higher than migrants in Vietnam in general. Besides, Catholic migrants had difficulty participating in feasts that required regular participation because they faced challenges from changing social environments, attitudes of the religious community of the destination, and their religious self-identity.