Immigrants’ Religious Transmission in Southern Europe: Reaction or Assimilation? Evidence from Italy

Abstract In recent decades, scholars have been increasingly interested in analysing immigrants’ religiosity Europe. this article, we provide evidence about how the patterns of religious transmission are shaped by characteristics both origin and receiving contexts. We do so focusing on Italy, which is an almost homogeneously Catholic country a fairly immigration destination, three different dimensions religiosity: service attendance, prayer importance religion. By relying “Social conditions integration foreign citizens” survey (ISTAT, 2011–2012), fill important theoretical geographical gap differences between parents children. claim that immigrant groups who share many with natives tend to assimilate adopting same (for example, Romanians Italy). contrast, immigrants come from very contexts, such as Muslim Moroccan group, strongly react diversity emphasising their own religiosity. If, instead, secular country, Albania, they also replicate feature countries, thus progressively weakening denominational differences. Overall, it interplay destination context matters most shaping transmission.