Secularization as a Potential Factor Influencing the Party System in Poland – an Initial Outline of the Problem
Secularization as a Potential Factor Influencing the Party System in Poland – an Initial Outline of the Problem

Summary/Abstract: According to a study by the Pew Research Center, out of the 108 countries analyzed in 2018, Poland led the decline in religiosity from one generation to the next. Polish society, and especially its youngest members, is becoming secular at a very rapid pace. So rapidly, in fact, that it is reasonable to assume that rapid secularization alters patterns of political competition and voter preferences, although the direction of these changes is not predetermined and may benefit both liberal and right-wing anti-establishment parties. The aim of this article is to attempt to explain whether the shift in the axiological paradigm in Poland is reflected in changes within the party system. Through the analysis of existing sources and desk research, it has been demonstrated that political parties are often forced to alter their platforms in pursuit of increasingly secular voters who express a negative attitude toward the Catholic Church, a trend that generates significant changes within the party system.

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