Decline of Catholicity in Mexico. Comparative analysis between the 2000, 2010 and 2020 census.

Abstract

The decline of Catholic membership worldwide is a process that has been accentuated in recent decades. Many factors can explain this historical constant: expansion of different religious options, both Christian and other forms of faith, the attitudes of the clergy towards issues of sexual diversity, the management of life (abortion or euthanasia) or the breadth of the concept of family, among others. In Mexico, this decline has been registered in the different editions of the Population Census, especially in the last three (INEGI 2000, 2010a and 2020), which reveal exciting data on the internal dynamics of change within the church: age group that mostly moves away from Catholicism, it is located in the segment of 30-35 years,

and a drop in children and adolescents, which will have an impact on the constant decrease in Catholicism in the following years (INEGI 2020). Similarly, it is women more than men who renounce their Catholic affiliation. To analyze the decline of Catholicity in Mexico, the comparative methodology of census data was defined

through statistical. Additionally, some surveys of values and political culture be analyzed to delve into why the members leave their church. The results reveal deep separation processes between the secular principles of the laicity and the moral guidelines of the clergy, between life attitudes and trust towards the church as an institution that administers the goods of salvation in modern and secular society.