Irreligion in Spain is a phenomenon that exists at least since the 17th century. Atheism, agnosticism and freethinking became relativelly popular (although the majority of the society was still very religious) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, often associated with anti-clericalism and progressive, republican, anarchist or socialist movements. During the Second Spanish Republic (1931-1936) Spain became a laïque state, placing limitations in the activity of the Catholic Church and the church was also expelled from education. During the Spanish civil war irreligious people were repressed by the Francoist side, while religion was largely abolished among the republicans. During the Francoist dictatorship period (1939-1975) irreligion was not tolerated, following the national-catholic ideology of the regime. Irreligious people could not be public workers or express their thoughts openly. After the Spanish democratic transition (1975-1982), restrictions on irreligion were lifted. In the last decades religious practice has fallen dramatically and atheism and agnosticism have grown in popularity.
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Demographics
A survey by Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas in October 2014 showed that 67.8 percent of Spanish people would today describe themselves as Catholic, although only 16.9 percent of Spanish people attend mass at least once a month. 10.8% define themselves as atheist and a further 16.7% as non-believers. In 2008, several reports indicated that as much as 60% of the population of Madrid and its metropolitan area identified as non-religious. According to a 2009 study, the 46% of Spaniards aged 18–24 declare themselves atheist or agnostic.
In government
The close alliance of the Franco regime and the Catholic Church is said to have had considerable amount of influence on the decline of religion in Spain. The imposition of the Church on the people and the subsequent fall of the regime caused the Spanish to detach themselves from Catholicism as political coercion was relaxed. In the 16 years after the transition from a dictatorship to democracy, there was a significant drop in levels of religious practice. According to Miguel and Stanek, there was a 14% decrease in religious practice in Spain in just those 16 years, decreasing at an annual rate of -2.1%.
In 1966 the Franco regime passed a law that freed other religions from many of their earlier restrictions, although it also reaffirmed the privileges of the Catholic Church. In 1978 the new Constitution confirmed the right of Spaniards to religious freedom and began disestablishing Catholicism as the state religion and declaring that religious liberty for non-Catholics is a government-protected right.
Freedom of ideology, religion, and worship is guaranteed, to individuals and communities with no other restriction on their expression than may be necessary to maintain public order as protected by law.
No one may be compelled to make statements regarding his or her ideology, religion, or beliefs.
There is no state religion. The public authorities shall take into account the religious beliefs of Spanish society and shall consequently maintain appropriate cooperative relations with the Catholic Church and other denominations.
The process of secularization was already clearly recognizable by the end of the eighteenth century. The depth, influence, and continuity of Spain's liberal and democratic traditions are particularly important in trying to understand the values connected with the ideals of tolerance and religious freedom. Seen in this light, it becomes clear why Spain in particular was one of the first countries in the world to introduce women's rights and why the divorce law of the Second Republic (1931-1936) was one of the most progressive ever passed. It is the foundation for today's law on same-sex marriage, which has led to conflict recently.
Although more than 19 out of every 20 Spaniards were baptized Catholics, the secularization process has become more intense both on an institutional level as well as in the everyday lives of the people. It is argued that in return for the subsidy that the Church receives, society receives the social, health, and educational services of tens of thousands of priests and nuns. Instead, a system was set up to allow citizens to delegate up to 10% of their pay check to the church so that it was no longer government funded.
In education
There exists an inverse relationship between the level of education and the social significance of religion. By 1980, a study was conducted that showed the more educated a person was, the more likely he or she was to be Catholic. This is attributed to the Church's new self-restraint in politics. The church began accepting the need for separation of religion and the state.
Unión de Ateos y Librepensadores (UAL)
The UAL is a new organization based in Barcelona which promotes atheism and unites atheists within Spain. The first post on their website is dated January 11, 2008, but they do not have information about their founding. The goal of the group is to inform Spanish-speakers who want to know more about atheism and unite those who have already chosen the atheist lifestyle. Their website contains links to atheist books, groups, and articles. The group has scheduled meetings every Thursday. They host events monthly with atheist speakers and writers. Similar local groups also exist within each autonomous community of Spain.