Religion and socio-economic human rights in post-communist countries: the cases of Poland and Lithuania

ENThe attitudes and evolution of views of various religious organizations on human rights are well recognized in scholarly work. However, research on the potential links connecting religious views, beliefs and identities with perceptions of and support for human rights seems to be far less developed. This paper aims to bridge this gap. The paper examines the relationship between religiosity and religious background (belonging or not) and perception of and support for socio-economic human rights. We are interested in finding the similarities and differences between countries with comparable socio-political history, particularly the experience of (post)communism, and a religious composition marked by the dominant role of the Roman Catholic Church. The article is based on empirical material collected using a survey conducted among high-school pupils in Poland and Lithuania. Keywords: Socio-economic human rights; Post-communist transformations; Social welfare; Roman Catholic Church; Post-communism; Lithuania; Poland; Religion. [From the publication]

• Sociologija / Sociology
• Politikos mokslai / Political sciences