Young People, Religiosity, and Pluralistic Values: A Survey-Based Study in Rome

In recent years, young people have often been portrayed as increasingly detached from traditional forms of religious belonging. Nevertheless, religious affiliation continues to shape how individuals interpret the world—that is, the cultural frameworks and value systems through which, in Weberian terms, they ascribe meaning to an otherwise indeterminate reality. Drawing on a survey conducted among a sample of young Italians in Rome, this study examines the relationship between youth and values by comparing believers and non-believers. The data are weighted to reflect the demographic structure of a comparable population in the European Social Survey. The article explores the intersections between religiosity, spirituality, value orientations, and forms of social participation among young Romans. It relies on a wide range of indicators capturing attitudes toward religion and society, religious and spiritual practices, and the perceived importance of various social issues. The analysis focuses on differences between spiritual and non-spiritual believers, practicing and non-practicing believers, and non-believers. The central questions guiding the study are: What distinguishes young believers from their non-believing peers in these domains? And how do these groups differ in their orientations when classified in this way?