Abstract
In the last century, Europe has witnessed mass expansion of educational levels and substantial declines in church membership, church attendance and religious beliefs. These processes have fundamentally reshaped the socio-demographic composition of European societies. This book explores to what extent these societal developments have been accompanied by changes in public opinions. In four empirical chapters, trends in public support for ethnic prejudice, gender egalitarianism and authoritarian values (in short: cultural conservatism) in the Netherlands and in other European countries are explored, based on representative surveys. In addition, different explanations for the relationship between educational expansion, secularisation, and changes in these public opinions are tested. The results show that public support for cultural conservatism has developed in different directions. Educational expansion and secularisation have to a certain extent contributed to these trends, although the ‘liberalising’ influence of these developments is not as clear-cut as is often expected. This book contributes to the understanding of long term changes in cultural conservatism and puts contemporary societal debates about issues of cultural freedom into a wider perspective.
