Ett trendbrott i sikte? : En kvalitativ studie om kyrkliga medarbetares syn på ungdomars engagemang i konfirmationsverksamheten.

Sammanfattning

This study examines how church employees perceive young people’s engagement in confirmation activities in relation to news media reports of an increased religious interest among youth. The study is based on a qualitative method, using semi-structured interviews with eleven church employees in two parishes in the diocese of Växjö. The material was analyzed through thematic analysis. The theoretical framework draws on the concept of believing without belonging and lived religion. The results show, from the employees' perspective, youth engagement is primarily understood as relational and situational, where a sense of security, group dynamics, and relationships with leaders are decisive in whether engagement emerges. Engagement is described as being expressed largely through practice and participation rather than through explicit faith. Social motives, community, and tradition are identified as central driving forces, while the employees also perceive that confirmands show a clear interest in existential questions. Religious motives, by contrast, are described as less prominent. The study also shows that employees’ experiences nuance the news media narrative of an increased religious interest among youth. Taken together, the findings suggest that young people’s engagement in confirmation, from the perspective of church employees, is best understood as social, practical, and existential participation, rather than as an expression of strengthened religious faith or increased institutional involvement.