Trends and patterns of religious intermarriage in Austria (1971-2001): The role of secularization and demographic changes

The changes in religious composition in Austria since 1970 have important consequences on intergroup relationships and family formation. Using data from the 1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001 Population Censuses, this paper investigates trends and determinants of religious intermarriage in Austria. The major questions are: 1) whether religious homogamy has declined over time given the secularizing trend and how this temporal process differs by gender, religious denomination, and geographical region; 2) whether religious homogamy intersects with assortative mating along other dimensions e.g. education and migration status; and 3) what individual and contextual factors explain religious intermarriage. Overall, we find that between 1971-2001, religious intermarriage has been increasing in Austria, especially among Roman Catholics and Protestants, women, and people residing in Vienna. Moreover, we find no evidence that religious homogamy can be explained by assortative mating along other dimensions i.e. couples with the same level of education or migration status do not necessarily have higher rates of religious homogamy. Finally, individuals in younger birth cohorts, with higher educational attainment, living in a residential area, with high composition of out-group religious members have higher propensity to be in interreligious marriage.