Editing Modern paganism (section)

==Demographics==

Establishing precise figures on paganism is difficult. Due to the secrecy and fear of [[Religious discrimination against Neopagans|persecution]] still prevalent among pagans, limited numbers are willing to openly be counted. The decentralised nature of paganism and sheer number of [[solitary practitioner]]s further complicates matters.{{sfn|Berger|1999|p=9}} Nevertheless, there is a slow growing body of data on the subject.{{sfn|Robinson|2003}} In the US, there are estimated to be between 1 and 1.5&nbsp;million practitioners.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ahmed |first=Iqbal |date=23 December 2019 |title=The Many Faces of the Occult |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/604084/pagans/ |work=The Atlantic |access-date=2021-03-25 |quote=about 1 million to 1.5 million people, identify as Wicca or Pagan |archive-date=4 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210404065020/https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/604084/pagans/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Europe===
{{See also|Modern paganism in German-speaking Europe|Neo-paganism in the Republic of Ireland|Neopaganism in Italy|Modern paganism in Scandinavia|Baltic neopaganism|Modern paganism in the United Kingdom|l2=Ireland|l4=Scandinavia|l6=the United Kingdom}}
[[File:Paganavebury.jpg|thumb|Wiccans gather for a [[Handfasting (Neopaganism)|handfasting]] ceremony at [[Avebury]] in England.]]

====Caucasus region====
Among Circassians, the [[Adyghe Habze]] faith has been revived after the fall of the Soviet Union, and followers of modern pagan faiths were found to constitute 12% in [[Karachay-Cherkessia]] and 3% in [[Kabardino-Balkaria]] (both republics are multiethnic and also have many non-Circassians, especially Russians and Turkic peoples)<ref name="ArenaAtlas">[http://sreda.org/arena Arena – Atlas of Religions and Nationalities in Russia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143249/http://sreda.org/arena |date=12 June 2018 }} • sreda.org</ref> In [[Abkhazia]], the Abkhaz native faith has also been revived, and in the 2003 census, 8% of residents identified with it (note again that there are many non-Abkhaz in the state including Georgians, Russians and Armenians);<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.portal-credo.ru/site/print.php?act=fresh&id=188 | first = Александр [Alexande] | last = Крылов [Krylov] | script-title = ru:Единая Вера Абхазских "Христиан" и "Мусульман". Особенности религиозного сознания в современной Абхазии | trans-title = Of United Vera Abhazskyh "Christians" & "Muslims." Features of religious consciousness in Modern Abkhazia | publisher = Portal-credo | place = [[Russia|RU]] | date = 17 March 2004 | access-date = 30 May 2011 | language = ru | archive-date = 27 August 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170827182302/http://www.portal-credo.ru/site/print.php?act=fresh&id=188 | url-status = live }}.</ref> on 3 August 2012 the [[Council of Priests of Abkhazia]] was formally constituted in [[Sukhumi]].<ref>{{Citation|url=http://apsnypress.info/news/6898.html |title=В Абхазии создана религиозная организация "Совет жрецов Абхазии" |trans-title=In Abkhazia creatures Religious Organization "Tip zhretsov Abkhazia" |publisher=[[Apsnypress]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125151156/http://apsnypress.info/news/6898.html |archive-date=25 November 2015 }}.</ref> In North Ossetia, the [[Uatsdin]] faith was revived, and in 2012, 29% of the population identified with it (North Ossetia is about 2/3 Ossetian and 1/3 Russian).{{efn|[http://sreda.org/arena Arena – Atlas of Religions and Nationalities in Russia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143249/http://sreda.org/arena |date=12 June 2018 }}. Sreda.org; 29% "adhere to a traditional religion of their ancestors, worship gods and the forces of nature". (исповедую
традиционную религию своих предковпоклоняюсь богам и силам природы). This figure compares to 1.2% adherents of ethnic religions in all of the Russian Federation.}} Modern pagan movements are also present to a lesser degree elsewhere; in Dagestan 2% of the population identified with folk religious movements, while data on modern pagans is unavailable for Chechnya and Ingushetia.<ref name="ArenaAtlas"/>

====Volga region====
The [[Mari native religion]] in fact has a continuous existence, but it has co-existed with Orthodox Christianity for centuries and experienced a renewal after the fall of the Soviet Union. A sociological survey conducted in 2004 found that about 15 percent of the population of Mari El consider themselves adherents of the Mari native religion. Since Mari make up just 45 percent of the republic's population of 700,000, this figure means that probably more than a third claim to follow the old religion.<ref>Nikolaus von Twickel. ''[http://www.sptimes.ru/story/29399 Europe's Last Pagans Worship in Mari-El Grove] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617063334/http://www.sptimes.ru/story/29399 |date=17 June 2013 }}''. Saint Petersburg Times, 2009.</ref> The percentage of pagans among the Mari of Bashkortostan and the eastern part of Tatarstan is even higher (up to 69% among women). Mari fled here from forced Christianization in the 17th to 19th centuries.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Шнирельман |first1=Виктор |title=Неоязычество на просторах Евразии |date=2001 |location=Москва |isbn=5-89647-050-9}}</ref> A similar number was claimed by [[Victor Schnirelmann]], for whom between a quarter and a half of the Mari either worship the pagan gods or are members of modern pagan groups.<ref>Victor Schnirelmann. ''[http://www.wlu.ca/documents/6483/Christians_Go_home.pdf Christians Go Home!] {{Webarchive|url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20140922163017/http://www.wlu.ca/documents/6483/Christians_Go_home.pdf |date=22 September 2014 }}''. Journal of Contemporary Religion 17.2. 2002.</ref>

A modern pagan movement drawing from various syncretic practices that had survived among the Christianised Mari people was initiated in 1990<ref name="Schnirelmann206">Schnirelmann, Victor: ''[https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20140922163017/http://www.wlu.ca/documents/6483/Christians_Go_home.pdf "Christians! Go home": A Revival of Neo-Paganism between the Baltic Sea and Transcaucasia]''. Journal of Contemporary Religion, Vol. 17, No. 2, 2002. p. 206.</ref> that was estimated in 2004 to have won the adherence of 2% of the Mordvin people.<ref>Schnirelmann, Victor: ''[https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20140922163017/http://www.wlu.ca/documents/6483/Christians_Go_home.pdf "Christians! Go home": A Revival of Neo-Paganism between the Baltic Sea and Transcaucasia]''. Journal of Contemporary Religion, Vol. 17, No. 2, 2002. '''p. 208'''</ref>

====Western Europe====
A study by [[Ronald Hutton]] compared a number of different sources (including membership lists of major UK organizations, attendance at major events, subscriptions to magazines, etc.) and used standard models for extrapolating likely numbers. This estimate accounted for multiple membership overlaps, as well as the number of adherents represented by each attendee of a pagan gathering. Hutton estimated that there are 250,000 modern pagans in [[United Kingdom|the United Kingdom]], roughly equivalent to the national [[Hindu]] community.{{Sfn|Hutton|1999}}

A smaller number is suggested by the results of the [[United Kingdom Census 2001|2001 Census]], in which a question about religious affiliation was asked for the first time. Respondents were able to write in an affiliation not covered by the checklist of common religions, and a total of 42,262 people from England, Scotland and Wales declared themselves to be pagans by this method. These figures were not released as a matter of course by the [[Office for National Statistics]] but were released after an application by the [[Pagan Federation]] of Scotland.<ref>[http://www.scottishpf.org/census.html Pagans and the Scottish Census of 2001] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113182416/http://www.scottishpf.org/census.html |date=13 January 2010 }}. Retrieved 18 October 2007.</ref> This is more than many well known traditions such as [[Rastafari movement|Rastafarian]], [[Baháʼí Faith|Baháʼí]] and [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] groups but fewer than the big six of Christianity, [[Islam]], [[Hinduism]], [[Sikhism]], Judaism and [[Buddhism]]. It is also fewer than the adherents of [[Jediism]], whose [[Jedi census phenomenon|campaign]] made their faith the fourth largest religion after Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.<ref>[http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/census-2001-summary-theme-figures-and-rankings/390-000-jedis-there-are/jedi.html National Statistics Office] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160221104906/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/census-2001-summary-theme-figures-and-rankings/390-000-jedis-there-are/jedi.html |date=21 February 2016 }} (2001): '390,000 Jedi There Are'. Retrieved 18 October 2007.</ref>

[[File:Hellen ritual (2).jpg|left|thumb|Modern Hellen ritual in Greece]]

The 2001 UK Census figures did not allow an accurate breakdown of traditions within the pagan heading, as a campaign by the Pagan Federation before the census encouraged Wiccans, Heathens, Druids and others all to use the same write-in term 'pagan' to maximise the numbers reported. However, the [[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 census]] made it possible to describe oneself as pagan-Wiccan, pagan-Druid and so on. The figures for England and Wales showed 80,153 describing themselves as pagan (or some subgroup thereof). The largest subgroup was Wicca, with 11,766 adherents.<ref>[[Office for National Statistics]], 11 December 2012, ''[http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?newquery=%2A&newoffset=25&pageSize=25&edition=tcm%3A77-286262 2011 Census, Key Statistics for Local Authorities in England and Wales] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927041121/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?newquery=%2A&newoffset=25&pageSize=25&edition=tcm%3A77-286262 |date=27 September 2015 }}''. Accessed 12 December 2012.</ref> The overall numbers of people self-reporting as pagan rose between 2001 and 2011. In 2001, about seven people per 10,000 UK respondents were pagan; in 2011, the number (based on the England and Wales population) was 14.3 people per 10,000 respondents.

Census figures in Ireland do not provide a breakdown of religions outside of the major Christian denominations and other major world religions. A total of 22,497 people stated Other Religion in the 2006 census; and a rough estimate is that there were 2,000–3,000 practicing pagans in Ireland in 2009. Numerous pagan groups – primarily Wiccan and Druidic – exist in Ireland though none is officially recognised by the Government. Irish paganism is often strongly concerned with issues of place and language.<ref>Butler, Jenny, "Irish neo-paganism". pages 111–130 in Olivia Cosgrove et al. (eds), ''Ireland's new religious movements''. Cambridge Scholars, 2011</ref>

===North America===
{{Further|Modern paganism in the United States}}

{| style="float:right"
!Socio-economic breakdown of U.S. pagans in 1999
|-
|
{| class="wikitable"
 ! Education !! Percentage{{sfn|Berger|1999|pp=8, 9}}
 |-
 |Claimed to have at least a [[College degree]] || 65.4%
 |-
 |Claimed to have [[Post-graduate education|Post-graduate degree]]s || 16.1%
 |-
 |Claimed to have completed some college or less || 7.6%
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left;"
 ! [[Residential area|Location]] !! Percentage{{sfn|Berger|1999|pp=8, 9}}
 |-
 | Urban areas || 27.9%
 |-
 | Suburban areas || 22.8%
 |-
 | Large towns || 14.4%
 |-
 | Small towns || 14.4%
 |-
 | Rural areas || 15.8%
 |-
 | Didn't respond || 5.6%
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right;"
 ! [[Ethnicity]] !! Percentage{{sfn|Berger|1999|pp=8, 9}}
 |-
 | [[White Americans|White]] || 90.4%
 |-
 | Native American || 9%
 |-
 | [[Asian Americans|Asian]] || 2%
 |-
 | [[Hispanic Americans|Hispanic]] || 0.8%
 |-
 | African American || 0.5%
 |-
 |"Other" || 2.2%
 |-
 |Didn't respond || 5%
|}
|}
Canada does not provide extremely detailed records of religious adherence. Its [[Statistics Canada|statistics service]] only collects limited religious information each decade. At the [[Canada 2001 Census|2001 census]], there were a recorded 21,080 pagans in Canada.<ref>{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://religioustolerance.org/can_rel0.htm |date=* |title=Religion data from the 2001 Canadian census }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Todd|first=Douglas|title=University of Victoria chaplain marks solstice with pagan rituals|url=http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2010/12/16/pagans-celebrate-solstice-with-yule-rituals/?wwparam=1359064476|work=Vancouver Sun|publisher=Postmedia Network Inc.|access-date=14 March 2013|date=December 2003|archive-date=17 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517111657/http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2010/12/16/pagans-celebrate-solstice-with-yule-rituals/?wwparam=1359064476|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=This should be directly supported by StatCan|date=March 2013}}

The United States government does not directly collect religious information. As a result such information is provided by religious institutions and other third-party statistical organisations.<ref>{{cite web|title=Religion Statistics and Publications|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/religion.htm|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=14 March 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090119172319/http://www.census.gov/prod/www/religion.htm|archive-date=19 January 2009}}</ref> Based on the most recent survey by the [[Pew Research Center]], there are approximately one million pagans in the United States. 0.3% of respondents answered "Pagan" or "Wiccan" when [[Opinion poll|polled]].<ref>{{Citation
 | last = Smith
 | first = Gregory
 | display-authors = etal
 | title = America's Changing Religious Landscape
 | publisher = Pew Research Center
 | place = Washington D.C.
 | date = 2014
 | chapter = Chapter 1: The Changing Religious Composition of the U.S.
 | page = 21
 | url = https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015/05/RLS-08-26-full-report.pdf
 }}</ref>

According to [[Helen A. Berger]]'s 1995 survey "The Pagan Census", most American pagans are middle-class, [[Higher education|educated]], and live in urban/suburban areas on the [[East Coast of the United States|East]] and [[West Coast of the United States|West]] coasts.{{sfn|Berger|1999|pp=8, 9}}
{{clear}}

===Oceania===
{{See also|Paganism in Australia}}
{|class="wikitable sortable floatright"
!colspan="2"|Breakdown of Australians{{sfn|PAN results|2012}}
|-
!Classifications!!Adherents
|-
|Animism||780
|-
|Druidism||1,049
|-
|Paganism||16,851
|-
|Pantheism||1,391
|-
|Nature Religions||3,599
|-
|Wicca/Witchcraft||8,413
|-
!Total!!32,083
|}
In the [[2011 Australian Census]], 32,083 respondents identified as [[modern pagan|pagan]].{{sfn|PAN results|2012}} Out of 21,507,717 recorded [[Australians]],<ref>{{cite web |title=2011 Census QuickStats: All people – usual residents |url=http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2011/quickstat/0 |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |access-date=13 March 2013 |archive-date=6 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106221006/http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2011/quickstat/0 |url-status=live }}</ref> they compose approximately 0.15% of the population. The [[Australian Bureau of Statistics]] classifies paganism as an affiliation under which several sub-classifications may optionally be specified. This includes [[animism]], [[nature religion]], [[Neodruidism|Druidism]], [[pantheism]], and Wicca/Witchcraft. As a result, fairly detailed breakdowns of pagan respondents are available.{{efn|{{cite web |title=Australian Census Pagan Dash. |url=https://www.facebook.com/events/204754496209181/ |work=Facebook Public Event |access-date=13 March 2013 |author=Pagan Awareness Network Inc. Australia |location=Australia |year=2011 |quote=The aim is to get Pagans of all persuasions (Wiccan, Druid, Asatru, Hellenic, Egyptian, Heathen etc.) to put themselves on the census form as 'Pagan' or 'Pagan, *your path*'.... Paganism is included in the Australian Standard Classification of Religious Groups (ASCRG), as a separate output category.... The classification structure of this group is: 613 Nature Religions 6130 Nature Religions, nfd (not further defined) 6131 Animism 6132 Druidism 6133 Paganism 6134 Pantheism 6135 Wiccan/Witchcraft 6139 Nature Religions, nec (not elsewhere classified) If a response of Pagan is qualified with additional information such as Druid or Wiccan, this additional information will be used in classifying the response. For example, Pagan Wiccan would be classified as 6135 and Pagan Celtic would be 6133. Pagan alone would be classified as 6133. |archive-date=29 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429032143/https://www.facebook.com/events/204754496209181/ |url-status=live }} }}

{|class="wikitable sortable floatleft"
!colspan="2"|New Zealander<br />affiliations{{sfn|StatsNZ affiliation|2006}}
|-
!Groups!!Adherents
|-
|[[Neodruidism|Druidism]]||192
|-
|[[Nature religion]]||4,530
|-
|[[Wicca]]||2,082
|-
!Total!!6,804
|}
In 2006, there were at least 6,804 (0.164%) pagans among New Zealand's population of approximately 4 million.{{sfn|StatsNZ population|2006}} Respondents were given the option to select one or more religious affiliations.{{sfn|StatsNZ affiliation|2006}}
{{clear}}