Religious beliefs and life experiences of Macao's residents

Abstract

As an international city, Macao is known to the world not only for its flourishing gaming and tourism sectors, but also for its rich history, religion, and culture. Drawing on empirical data obtained from three consecutive territory-wide household surveys conducted in 2005, 2007, and 2009 respectively, this paper attempts to shed light on the current religious profile of Macao residents. Generally, over half of Macao residents claim to have no religious beliefs, while one quarter of the respondents believe in the Chinese folk religion. About one-tenth claim to be Buddhists or Taoists, while around 5 percent call themselves Catholics or Protestants. An in-depth analysis further shows that female, older, and non-locally born respondents are more religious, while Catholics and Protestants are better educated and have a higher socioeconomic status than other segments of the population. Compared with those of other religious beliefs, Catholics and Protestants participate in religious activities more frequently, are in better health, and are more satisfied with various aspects of life including their family life, household economy, and work. Although over half of Macao residents are not religious, they are similarly self-reliant, family-oriented and, more importantly, respectful of law, order, and social rules. These core values, to a certain extent, mark Macao as a pluralistic society that emphasizes diversity and multi-culturalism.

澳門是國際城市，享譽世界的不單有欣欣向榮的旅遊業及博彩業，還有其深厚的歷史、宗教及文化底蘊。本文利用 2005、2007 及 2009 年連續三次全澳入戶調查的實徵數據，嘗試勾勒當前澳門居民宗教信仰的輪廓。總體而言，超過一半澳門受訪者表示沒有宗教信仰，約四分一信奉中國傳統宗教或民間習俗，十分一信奉佛教或道教，只有 5%屬於天主教徒或基督教徒。數據分析顯示：女性、年長及非本地出生受訪者有信仰的比例較高，而信奉天主教及基督教的受訪者則擁有較高的教育水平並享有較佳的社經地位。與其他信仰者相比，天主教及基督教信徒較常參加宗教活動，有較好的健康狀況，亦在多個生活領域中──包括家庭生活狀況、家庭經濟狀況及工作狀況等──表現得較為滿足。雖然超過半數澳門居民沒有信仰，但他們同樣展示出一些如強調自力更生、以家庭為中心，以及尊重法律、秩序及社會規則等「意索」（ethos），明顯地，這些核心價值是支持澳門成為多元城市，並且享有多元文化的基礎。