5. EKD Survey on Membership of the Evangelical Church in Germany

At an interval of 10 years, the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) conducts a representative membership survey to find out more about the views its members hold about church. Traditionally, the survey has been centered on Protestants that are formally members of this church; however, this focus has been broadened to include Catholics, as well as the Unaffiliated. Also the methods have evolved from using standardized questionnaires to also include individual and group interviews.

Besides the already established questions on church membership and Christian life, the 5. KMU is particularly interested in communication and networks. Furthermore, looking at longitudinal data, the central questions of church development and key concepts of the change of church and society will be surveyed. The 5. KMU wants to provide a picture as complete as possible of the everyday reality of Protestant Christians, as well as the Unaffiliated and their respective contexts.

Prof. Dr. Birgit Weyel is part of the interdisciplinary advisory board together with Prof. Dr. Eberhard Hauschildt (Bonn), Prof. Dr. Jan Hermelink (Göttingen), PD Dr. Gerald Kretzschmar (Mainz), Prof. Dr. GertPickel (Leipzig) and Prof. Dr. Detlef Pollack (Münster).

You can find a brochure on results of the 5. KMU, as well as infographics and other materials, here.