The Relationship between modernization and pluralism among the youth in Sanandaj and six Kurdish villages

Drawing on Peter Berger's views on religious pluralism and John Hick’s typology of religiosity (pluralism, inclusivism and exclusivism), this essay investigates the relationship between modernization and religious pluralism among the youth in the city of Sanandaj and six of its villages. This survey was performed in Sanandaj and six Kurdish village (Saraw Qamesh, Ajgarah, Doveyse, Tangisar, Niar and Meraw). The sample consisted of 583 young people (18-29 years old) who were selected through multistage cluster sampling. The results show that “inclusivism” is the most common type of religiosity among urban and rural respondents. The rarest type of religiosity is “exclusivism”. Results of multivariate regression shows that of the 17 components introduced to the regression program, the most effective variables on pluralism could be ordered as follows: Global orientation, independence orientation, quality of life and socio-economic status