Abstract:

Over the last decade, the global decline of religion has taken center stage (Davies, 2022; Gabbatt; 2023; NPR, 2015). Yet thus far, most of what is known about declining religiosity focuses on the Western world and on wealthy East Asian nations such as Japan. Much less is known about religious trajectories in Southeast Asia, which includes some of the most religious nations in the world (Gallup International Survey, 2017). This study examines religiosity among two cohorts of adolescents growing up in northern Thailand—historically an overwhelmingly Buddhist region (Cassaniti, 2015; McKenzie et al., 2019). In 2012, in-depth interviews were conducted and surveys were administered with 40 Millennial adolescents (Mage = 17.30), evenly divided across rural and urban settings. In 2023, the same data collection techniques were employed with 60 Gen Z adolescents (Mage = 17.47) in the same settings. Chi-squared analysis of religious identification, and analysis of variances of religious practices and religious values, reveal significant religious change over time among Thai adolescents in rural and urban settings. Results will be contextualized alongside rapid cultural and technological change in Thailand from 2012—2023, and implications for youth in other rapidly globalizing nations will be discussed.

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