policy & reform
campusreview.com.au
Tolerant, but ignorant
Researchers conclude Gen Z’s
faith literacy merits national
curriculum reform.
By Kate Prendergast
T
olerant, but still pretty ignorant.
This is the assessment of a
recent, comprehensive paper into
Generation Z’s faith literacy – and one the
researchers find concerning, particularly
for a society which is one of the world’s
most diverse in its faith communities, and
becoming even more so.
In order to combat religious extremism,
curb harmful stereotypes and promote a
more harmonious society, the researchers
argue that religious diversity should be
given an enhanced focus in the Australian
national curriculum.
Undertaken by academics at Deakin
University, Monash University and ANU
over two years, and involving 1200
students aged 13–18, the project probed
young people’s understanding of religion,
its place in society and how they relate to it.
Using techniques such as focus groups,
phone surveys and follow-up interviews,
the researchers examined the extent and
nature of young people’s perceptions of
religion. The vast majority were found
to espouse highly tolerant views, despite
the fact that less than half identify with a
religion, compared to three-fifths of the
population overall. A fair number do hold
mystical/spiritual worldviews, however –
20 per cent think UFOs and astrology have
a basis in reality, and half believe in karma.
Ninety-one per cent believe that having
many different faiths makes Australia a
better place to live, while 90 per cent
think that students should be allowed
to wear religious clothes or jewellery
to school. Eighty-eight per cent said all
religious groups in Australia should be
free to practise their religion as they like,
and 82 per cent agreed that people faced
discrimination due to their religious beliefs.
Only 5 per cent admitted a negative view
of Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism.
When quizzed on the finer details
though, teens’ knowledge was found to be
“broad, but lacking in depth”. For instance,
while the majority knew who the Dalai
Lama was, just one out of the entire study’s
cohort was able to accurately outline the
Buddhist leader’s role and responsibilities.
Teenagers were not completely sold on
the net value of religion, however, with
some disclosing exclusionary ideologies.
Forty-four per cent think religion “creates
more problems than it solves” and
32 per cent support the idea that local
communities “should be able to prevent
the construction of unwanted religious
structures in their neighbourhoods”.
“Religious literacy should be part of a
wider civic project that seeks to combat
prejudice and negative stereotypes, and
to build mutual respect within multi-faith
societies,” the researchers conclude.
They call to account the Australian
Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting
Authority (ACARA) for ignoring “multiple
calls for more content on general
religious education” by communities, faith
institutions and political leaders. The 2014
review discarded these recommendations,
and instead put forward the case that
ACARA “better recognise the contribution
of Western civilisation” and “our Judeo-
Christian heritage”.
Currently, 41 per cent of Australian
schools teach neither general religious
education (GRE) or special religious
instruction (SRI). The latter is doctrinal,
with an emphasis on personal faith
development – 4 per cent of schools have
SRI programs. The researchers propose
that the national curriculum incorporate
GRE programs, which focus on raising
awareness, “to better reflect the real
religious landscape and especially the lived
experiences of superdiverse Gen Z teens”.
These programs, the researchers note
as a caveat, “need to be context-specific
and stress the complexity, internal diversity,
and changeability within non-religious and
religious worldviews”.
Previous research has found that
students who have had no GRE are twice
as likely to hold negative or neutral views
towards religious minorities. As of 2015,
only Victoria has developed and introduced
two dedicated sections on learning about
diverse worldviews and religions in the
Humanities and Ethical Capability.
“I hope that the national curriculum and
other states will soon follow Victoria’s lead,”
researcher Anna Halafoff told Campus
Review. Ideally, she would like to see “a
dedicated section on diverse worldviews,
including spiritual, religious and non-
religious worldviews ... introduced into the
national curriculum and for it to begin with
learning about diverse Indigenous cultures,
including spiritual and religious dimensions,
if possible, in consultation with experts in
this field”.
Though Australian teenagers are more
areligious than ever, they’re not apathetic.
Almost the whole study cohort agreed
or strongly agreed that general religious
education helped make them more
tolerant of other people’s religions, and
that it was important for them to study.
The study’s results are presented in the
report, Australia’s Generation Z Study. ■
13