Spanish Youngsters Have Had It With Religion, Too

A poll of 1,450 young people in Spain shows that most believe that religion is of little importance and has no place in schools. The survey of people aged 15 to 29 shows that attitudes have changed radically since the era of the dictator Franco. Then, homosexuality was banned. Now gay marriage is legal, with 80 per cent of those who were asked agreeing with the change in the law.

More than two thirds of those polled said they were in favour of abortion — legalised in Spain in 1985 — and 76 per cent said they approved of euthanasia “to help someone suffering from an incurable disease if they asked for it”. A third declared themselves non-believers, with the majority of the remainder stating that religion had little relevance in their lives.

Although this will be good news for the socialist government of José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, it will cause yet more angst among the Catholic hierarchy who have traditionally held enormous power in Spain.