How Religious Affiliation and Religiosity Shape Attitudes Toward Medically Assisted Reproduction in Switzerland

Julia Henrike Schroedter
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Julia Henrike Schroedter: University Research Priority Program “Human Reproduction Reloaded,” University of Zurich, Switzerland

Social Inclusion, 2025, vol. 13

Abstract: Although Western societies are becoming increasingly secular, religion continues to play a significant role in shaping attitudes toward family‐related issues, including medically assisted reproduction (MAR). Existing research on this topic is limited, often focuses on specific procedures or subgroups, and frequently overlooks the multifaceted nature of religion. Our study addresses these research gaps by examining how various dimensions of religiosity—affiliation, religious socialization, self‐assessed religiosity, and religious practice— relate to attitudes toward a broad spectrum of MAR procedures in the general Swiss population. Using data from the representative CHARLS 2023 survey, we assessed public acceptance of nine MAR techniques through both a composite index and evaluations of individual procedures. Our findings show that higher religiosity across all dimensions is consistently associated with lower moral acceptance of MAR. While religious affiliation mattered, especially among Muslims and Evangelical Christians, its effect was significantly reduced when personal religiosity and practice were taken into account. Personal religiosity and frequent prayer emerged as the strongest predictors of lower acceptance. Religious socialization also had a modest negative impact, particularly among those raised in highly religious households. Acceptance was generally lower for procedures involving third‐party contributions (e.g., donor gametes, surrogacy), though differences between procedures were not statistically significant. Overall, the results underscore the enduring influence of religion on attitudes toward reproductive technologies—even in a secularizing context.

Keywords: attitudes toward medically assisted reproduction; religion; religiosity; Switzerland (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:socinc:v13:y:2025:a:10597

DOI: 10.17645/si.10597

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