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Summary information

Study title

Funerary practices in the 1990s

Creator

Gustafsson, Göran (Department of Theology, Lund University)

Study number / PID

snd0919-1-2.0 (SND)

https://doi.org/10.5878/001581 (DOI)

Data access

Restricted

Series

Not available

Abstract

Already at the planning stage of the “Funerary Practices – A Study of Social Differences after Death” project, the fundamental idea was that the main data for the study would be provided by a broad survey of the large majority of all Church of Sweden funerals. It is well-known that the weakening of Christian customs related to service attendance and the use of other Christian practices (baptism, confirmation, and church weddings) is less pronounced when it comes to church funerals. The ritual form of the church funeral is largely defined through the order of service for funerals in Den svenska kyrkohandboken [approx. The Swedish Church Manual]. However, for several points in the service, the handbook offers alternative forms and the possibility of leaving them out, and the final part of the service mainly depends on whether there will be an earth burial or a cremation. There is hardly any information from previous studies regarding the formulation of the funeral service, and there is no individual information about what happens to the coffin with the deceased after the service. These facts alone are enough to warrant a study of funerary practices and their variations. The section on funerals in the church manual, which defines the ritual framework for funeral services, begins by observing that the funeral is part of a situation extending from the deathbed to the final leave-taking by the grave. A similar view informed the idea of a broad study of contemporary funerary practices in Sweden: not only - or mainly – would the study focus on the rituals of the church or chapel; it would also examine what goes on before and, to some extent, after the funeral service to the largest possible extent. Above all, it would address the social aspects (broadly interpreted) of funerals not regulated by the church manual or otherwise governed by established regulations. The raw data for the study is available from LUKA, the Church History Archive of Lund...
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Topics

SociologyPhilosophy, Ethics and ReligionReligious StudiesEthnologyReligion and valuesSocial behaviour and attitudes

Keywords

Customs and traditionsFunerals

Methodology

Data collection period

04/1997 - 12/1997

Country

Sweden

Time dimension

Cross-section

Analysis unit

Event/Process/Activity

Universe

Parish priests

Sampling procedure

Seen as a survey of parish priests, the study would constitute a census. Accordingly, the questionnaire should have been sent to 3,132 priests. Those who stated that they were on leave, and thus could not be expected to officiate at funerals, were excluded from the population, giving a total of 3,035 priests. For a number of pastorates, the position as rector was reported to be vacant. All the letters with questionnaires were sent to individuals and not to someone holding a particular position. This was unproblematic to the extent that other active priests were substituting for a vacant position, but not when a retired priest did so. The result was that the funeral practices of a few pastorates in thinly populated areas, each with the position as rector vacant at the time of the survey, were not included. Whether “kontraksadjunkter” (approx. deanery curates) should be included in the population was doubtful. They appear to have somewhat different positions in the various dioceses. Apart from any special functions, many of them also have a parish connection; the Finnish-language parish work within the Church of Sweden is largely managed by “kontraktsadjunkter”, which is why this category of priests is included in the survey population. Another borderline category included was those who were listed as “Other priests”. This category includes priests who, for various reasons, have been hired for personal position; they are hired by the diocese without any diocesan functions but they are not connected to any particular pastorate. They can assume particular duties such as funerals, and are for that reason included in the survey population. Priests within the Swedish Evangelical Mission (Evangeliska Fosterlands-Stiftelsen, EFS) were not included in the survey population. The number of annual funerals for the roughly 150 EFS priests listed in the roster is considerably smaller than for priests with a “normal” parish position. A high response rate in this group could have given a somewhat skewed picture of how funerals according to the order of the Church of Sweden are carried out.
Total universe/Complete enumeration

Kind of data

Not available

Data collection mode

Self-administered questionnaire: paper

Access

Publisher

Swedish National Data Service

Publication year

2013

Terms of data access

Access to data through SND. Data are accessible by order.

Related publications

Not available