Does the habit make the nun? religious frequency and self-perception of religion in Brazil

Abstract

Using the Brazilian Religion Survey (BRS), this article presents data on the frequency of religious activities and the religious self-perception of Catholics and Protestants. While Protestants are more involved with religion than Catholics, it is surprising that both are similarly devoted to prayer and that, among Protestants, Pentecostals and historical Protestants present almost identical percentages of religious participation. This article simulates the distribution of Brazilian religions based on a high-frequency filter, as well as the probability of affiliation based on observed religious practices. The results show a decrease in the number of Catholics and an increase in the number of Pentecostals in greater proportions than those of the 2010 Census and demonstrate that the probability of being Catholic in Brazil is independent of the intensity of religious practice adopted.

Keywords

• Frequência religiosa
• Autodeclaração
• Evangélicos
• Católicos.