"The profile of pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago: 90% are Catholics, 48% do so for spiritual reasons"

[Bradypus]

La Voz de Galicia are reporting the headline figures from a survey of Camino pilgrims. The article states that according to this survey around 90% are Catholic, about 48% claim to have walked for spiritual reasons, and that the average daily expenditure by pilgrims is about 80 euros.

PS: As the posts that follow argue, the article and its headline seem to be based on a clumsy misinterpretation of a summary presentation of the survey in question!

El perfil de los peregrinos del Camino de Santiago: el 90 % son católicos, el 48 % lo hacen por motivos espirituales y la mayoría se gastan unos 70 euros al día

Un estudio de la USC, basado en encuestas y en el debate en las redes sociales, evidencia que quien lo finaliza lo recomienda y además no dudaría en volver a hacerlo

www.lavozdegalicia.es

 

[trecile]

Those percentages seem backwards. I can believe that 48% are Catholic and 90% walk for spiritual reasons, but not the other way around.

 

[Robo]

Sounds like a rather 'skewed' study in terms of overall numbers (not many) and geography though.

 

[Bradypus]

Those percentages seem backwards. I can believe that 48% are Catholic and 90% walk for spiritual reasons, but not the other way around.

I found the 90% figure quite surprising too. But looking at the nationalities reported in the pilgrim office statistics from previous years the majority of pilgrims do come from traditionally Catholic countries and are probably at least nominally/culturally Catholic. And it seems plausible that walking the Camino will appeal more strongly to those of Catholic background from other countries. Still feels rather high compared with my very subjective impressions in recent years.

Sounds like a rather 'skewed' study in terms of overall numbers (not many) and geography though.

It is a very small sample compared to the nearly 440,000 who received Compostelas last year. And depends on finding subjects willing to cooperate with the survey. So I do wonder how representative their sample really was.

 

[wisepilgrim]

In unrelated news, Catholics are shown to participate in surveys much more often than non-Catholics.

 

[Kanga]

Lies, lies and dammed statistics?

My perception is different too, but that might be influenced by where I start walking. It may be that there is a larger number of non-Catholics who start further away, but the majority of those who walk into SDC are Catholics.

 

[Vacajoe]

“In a study conducted during Sunday Mass...”. Even 48% Catholic seems shockingly high! While pilgrims from Spain and France would skew that direction, my wife and I felt like one of the few foreign Catholics on every Camino we have walked. At one point we were surprised that the atheists outnumbered Catholics at the albergue dinner table, but they all claimed to be seeking spiritual enlightenment so what a wonderful way to do so.

Either the sample size was extremely skewed, they confused the terms “Christian” and “Catholic,” or they added things up incorrectly, but there is no way that’s correct.

 

[C clearly]

At the start of the article, it was stated that 90% of pilgrims were Catholic, but later down in the article they said 90% were Christian.

 

[Kanga]

At the start of the article, it was stated that 90% of pilgrims were Catholic, but later down in the article they said 90% were Christian.

Maybe using the word "Catholic" as meaning the universal Christian church - as distinct from "Roman Catholic". I'm thinking of the Nicene Creed which is said in one form or another by Protestants and which includes a belief in "the holy catholic church".

 

[C clearly]

Maybe using the word "Catholic" as meaning the universal Christian church - as distinct from "Roman Catholic". I'm thinking of the Nicene Creed which is said in one form or another by Protestants and which includes a belief in "the holy catholic church".

Maybe, but I doubt that the journalist writing the article was thinking about that!

 

[JabbaPapa]

Those percentages seem backwards. I can believe that 48% are Catholic and 90% walk for spiritual reasons, but not the other way around.

The article suggests that many Catholic pilgrims cite "spiritual" reasons rather than "religious".

 

[Kathar1na]

The article is based on the press conference where the study was presented. The title of the article is unfortunate.

The percentage (90%) does not refer to the sample of interviewed pilgrims as a whole but to a subgroup of them. I believe it to be those who said that they walk for strictly religious reasons but the slide is not very clear and I am not sure that I understand the speaker correctly. It is obvious that the "90%" refers to the group of those interviewees who define themselves as belonging to a faith - the categories are Christian with 89,3%, followed by Hindu, Buddhist, Islamist, Jew, and Other sharing the remaining 10,7%. It is Christians and not Catholics.

The study is apparently not (yet?) available online but a 40 minutes video of the press conference has been put on YouTube and you can see the PowerPoint slides although not very clearly. Here is a screenshot, taken at around 17 minutes:

 

[Vacajoe]

Nice sleuthing!

 

[Kathar1na]

View attachment 141138

Here is the text on the slide (translated):

Do you consider yourself as:​

• a religious person - 37,8 %
• spiritual but not religious - 46,7 %
• not religious - 15,5 %

In case of [l? 1?] ... Christian 89,3 %; Hindu; Buddhist; Islamist; Jew; Other. ​

Among the last 5 categories, Other is the largest. I reckon that it is around 8% but the colours of the assigned segments are difficult to distinguish.​

 

[Sirage]

So we have 400,000 + getting Compostellas. Many doing the 100 km or so for the Catholic purpose.

An earlier post had about 40,000 doing the full Frances and lesser numbers would walk the other longer routes

It appears many of the people on this forum do longer Caminos and have some sense of who they are.

 

[Corned Beef]

I'm sure the survey was carried out in strict accordance with the rules of the Spanish Inquisition.

 

[Tincatinker]

I'm sure the survey was carried out in strict accordance with the rules of the Spanish Inquisition.

I didn't expect that!!

 

[Robo]

I didn't expect that!!

" No one expects the Spanish Inquisition"! (in a John Cleese voice)

 

[Kathar1na]

The writer for El Correo Gallego, or their editor, appears to have found a better title for their article: Only 27.9 % of pilgrims walk the Camino for purely religious motives.

Solo el 27,9 % de los peregrinos hace el Camino por motivos puramente religiosos

La mayoría de los peregrinos que se lanzan hoy en día al Camino de Santiago reconocen hacerlo por motivos espirituales. Así se recoge en un estudio re...

www.elcorreogallego.es

 

[Kathar1na]

From the full report, to which EL CORREO had access, it can be extracted that "the most important motivation at the time of making the pilgrimage is spiritual (67.9%), followed by the desire for recreation and relaxation (42.4%), cultural reasons (40.4%), sports and outdoor leisure (34.3%) and strictly religious (27.9%).

If I understand this quote from the article correctly - multiple answers were apparently allowed - this is a bit surprising, or perhaps not: more than 70 % had no strictly religious motivation. Or it was so low on their personal list of motivations (for example if they were asked to name their three most important motivations) that they did not name it.

It would, obviously, be interesting to see the actual report of the study to better understand all these percentages.

 

[Former member 102963]

La Voz de Galicia are reporting the headline figures from a survey of Camino pilgrims which suggests that around 90% are Catholic, about 48% claim to have walked for spiritual reasons, and that the average daily expenditure by pilgrims is about 80 euros.

El perfil de los peregrinos del Camino de Santiago: el 90 % son católicos, el 48 % lo hacen por motivos espirituales y la mayoría se gastan unos 70 euros al día

Un estudio de la USC, basado en encuestas y en el debate en las redes sociales, evidencia que quien lo finaliza lo recomienda y además no dudaría en volver a hacerlo

www.lavozdegalicia.es

All I can say is that I have done 3 caminos, met loads of people, and have never heard anyone mention ‘religion’ or even use the word ‘pilgrim’!

 

[Kathar1na]

I’m going to stop now, I promise , but I just noticed that La Voz de Galicia has got it totally wrong: their percentages, 90% and 48%, don’t refer to what they think it refers to. Statistics actually don’t lie but people may fail to understand them.

For example, the question in the slide shown earlier does not ask for motivation, it asks how the interviewee sees themselves in the context of the question asked. If someone asks me whether I am a religious person I would probably say no. If someone asks me whether I see myself as either a religious person or spiritual but not religious or not religious I would pick religious person as my answer out of the three options. As so often, context is everything. Same with the answer “Christian”. Depending on context that could mean an active regular churchgoer or someone who merely feels more affinity with their Christian upbringing and background than with one of the other world faiths or anything else that people may regard as their religion.

 

[sarahchicago]

The cathedral summarizes the study differently (link below). the study authors are professors (and grad students?) at the university of SdC in the business and economics department. Sample size was 1500+ but no description here of participant recruitment or sample selection. I checked their publications and don’t see a pre-pub or white paper, so we’ll have to wait for the results (sadly, the journalist and his/her/their editor seem to be a bit lazy or quite confused)

Presentación del estudio "Percepciones y espiritualidad en el Camino de Santiago: un análisis basado en encuestas y redes sociales" | Catedral de Santiago

catedraldesantiago.es

From this release:”Regarding the intangible benefits of having made a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, 44.4% of those surveyed acknowledge having returned with renewed energy and a different focus on their lives; 27.3% recognized the transformative power of this experience, indicating "that they would never be the same person as before"; 17.1% indicate having experienced spirituality and/or the existence of God in a much deeper way; 6.1% highlight having returned with a new community”

 

[JohnLloyd]

80 euros a day! I don't think so, not in my experience anyway!

If I spent more than 30 euros a day, I'd be surprised. Apart from the odd days when I spoiled myself with a casa rural or a hotel room...

 

[Bradypus]

80 euros a day! I don't think so, not in my experience anyway!

If I spent more than 30 euros a day, I'd be surprised. Apart from the odd days when I spoiled myself with a rural house or a hotel room...

I finished a Camino Frances walk last week. Mostly staying in albergues. On days when I could find a menu at lunchtime I was probably spending around 35 to 40 euros per day. Less when I was eating supermarket food. More on the couple of days when I had a private room. Certainly not averaging anything like 80 euros.

 

[JohnLloyd]

Overall, this survey's numbers are taking a bit of a beating, aren't they?

 

[Kathar1na]

80 euros a day!

Fact:

• Voz de Galicia: article refers to an average expenditure of around 80 Euros per day
• Correo Gallego: article does not mention average expenditure
• Presentation at press conference: the corresponding slide (see below), difficult to read, has a pie chart for the following categories of daily expenditure:
  • less than 20 €
  • 20-34 €
  • 35-49 €
  • 50-69 €
  • 70-80 €
  • more than 80 €

I am happy for these categories to be corrected by someone who has better eyesight and/or a higher resolution screen or access to the actual report.

I cannot understand what exactly the presenter says in this connection but I think that she says that those for whom religion and/or spirituality is of high important tend to spend less as they are looking for modest living on the Camino. 80 € is most definitely not the average expenditure according to the results of this survey of some 1500+ pilgrims.

 

[Pafayac]

Since 2019, more than half of the pilgrims reaching Santiago has started from Sarria... 47,5% in 2018, 50% in 2019...

 

[Kathar1na]

Ah, stop press. I found the pdf file of the results of the study, posted by the Cathedral / Archdiocese of Santiago.

It would make more sense to continue the thread on the basis of the information in this document than on the basis of newspaper articles about the recent press conference.

Page 17-18 (translated and summarised):

Around 35% of the pilgrims (needless to say: 35 % of those surveyed) spent between €35 and €49 per day, followed by around 28% who spent between €20 and €34, and around 20% who spent between €50 to €69. Around 8,5% spent between €70 and €89 and less than 10% belong to the two extreme points of the scale with more than €90 or less than €20. ​

​

Each of us can now see to which percentage of the surveyed pilgrim population our own average daily expenditure corresponds.

The pdf document also contains the survey's questionnaire.

​

Source: https://archicompostela.es/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Percepciones-y-espiritualidad.pdf

 

[motero99]

I have to agree with the majority of commenters that the survey was really off. My first night on the Frances in Orisson in 2019, everyone at dinner had to stand and say why they were walking. I was sitting with a Basque and two Catalans. After everyone was finished, the Basque turned to me and exclaimed with great surprise that "no one mentioned religion." In fact, by a large majority, the most common reasons was going through changes in life. I seem to remember that when submitting your pilgrim passport it was recommended to say that you walked for spiritual reasons to avoid any hassles.
Personally I expected the majority to be Catholics, but was surprised by number of other religions, especially Anglican and Lutheran,
30 to 40 E a day was my average until I met up with my daughters in Sarria. Their tastes blew a hole in my budget.

 

[PilgrimPillar]

La Voz de Galicia are reporting the headline figures from a survey of Camino pilgrims which suggests that around 90% are Catholic, about 48% claim to have walked for spiritual reasons, and that the average daily expenditure by pilgrims is about 80 euros.

El perfil de los peregrinos del Camino de Santiago: el 90 % son católicos, el 48 % lo hacen por motivos espirituales y la mayoría se gastan unos 70 euros al día

Un estudio de la USC, basado en encuestas y en el debate en las redes sociales, evidencia que quien lo finaliza lo recomienda y además no dudaría en volver a hacerlo

www.lavozdegalicia.es

As a repetive peregrino I have NEVER been asked if I am Catholic or Lutheran or …..

(((There is also discrepancy in other aspects of collective statistics I personally have insecurities around)))

Ultreia!

 

[C clearly]

All I can say is that I have done 3 caminos, met loads of people, and have never heard anyone mention ‘religion’ or even use the word ‘pilgrim’!

I find it astounding that you never had a conversation in which those 2 words were used.

(sadly, the journalist and his/her/their editor seem to be a bit lazy or quite confused)

Yes

As a repetive peregrino I have NEVER been asked if I am Catholic or Lutheran or …...

No. But the survey apparently did ask the participants. Different things.

I have to agree with the majority of commenters that the survey was really off

Is your conclusion based on a poll of forum members, on a quick reading of the erroneous newspaper article, or on an an analysis of the actual survey/study?

Do not judge the study by the casual article about the study. Read the posts by @Kathar1na that highlight the poor quality of the news article.

 

[backpack45]

Those percentages seem backwards. I can believe that 48% are Catholic and 90% walk for spiritual reasons, but not the other way around.

I agree with you trecile -- this doesn't match the statistics I've seen from the pilgrim office in Santiago.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

None of the percentages seemed remotely accurate to me. I'm sure much of the reason is because I'm in the little "bubble world" of this forum, where my perception takes in only a small percentage of the big picture.

 

[C clearly]

None of the percentages seemed remotely accurate to me.

Which ones? Those of the newspaper article or the actual study?

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Which ones? Those of the newspaper article or the actual study?

Only speaking for myself reacting to @Bradypus, who highlighted the gist of the article in his original post...nothing more.

 

[C clearly]

the gist of the article in his original post...nothing more.

I understand. It is just that later posts have pointed out that the article misquoted the actual study (as is very common) so it might be rather unfair to the study authors.

 

[Tincatinker]

In my experience very few pilgrims are pagans but a survey of (the only) pagan available revealed that they walked the camino for pagan reasons; that 100% of them were pagans and, that their budget for the Camino was "whatever".

It seems to me that the Cathedral and Turismo Galicia would benefit from inclining their marketing toward this spend-thrift group.

Obviously I may have misunderstood the results of the survey or mis-represented them in my own interest.

A late edit: I have watched so many government enquiries that conclude that further information is required; reviewed so many reviews and surveys that have concluded that further review or survey are required and, watched so many academics justify the last bit with a firm eye on the next bit that I have, unfortunately, developed a very nasty dose of endemic cynicism. When it comes to stating the bl**ding obvious in terms that leave an host of unanswered questions....

Oh, happy Wednesday everybody. Remember; tomorrow is going to be a remarkably similar day

 

[sarahchicago]

I looked at the pdf (thanks @Kathar1na ) and see there is insufficient information on the recruitment and sampling to assess the reliability and validity of the survey results.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Using some figures supplied by @Kathar1na and disregarding the 8.5% spending less than 20€ and more than 80€ for which we have insufficient data my back of the envelope results are:

The average spent by the other 91.5% of pilgrims was almost 45€.

Almost 70% of the 91.5% spent between 20€ and 50€.

 

[Molly Cassidy]

I found the 90% figure quite surprising too. But looking at the nationalities reported in the pilgrim office statistics from previous years the majority of pilgrims do come from traditionally Catholic countries and are probably at least nominally/culturally Catholic. And it seems plausible that walking the Camino will appeal more strongly to those of Catholic background from other countries. Still feels rather high compared with my very subjective impressions in recent years.


It is a very small sample compared to the nearly 440,000 who received Compostelas last year. And depends on finding subjects willing to cooperate with the survey. So I do wonder how representative their sample really was.

Well, yes, once you're baptised, you're Catholic, there's no getting out of it!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Rick, your figures sound quite "sound" and plausible to me.

 

[SabsP]

Well, yes, once you're baptised, you're Catholic, there's no getting out of it!

That is true but you can write a formal letter to the bishop to ' be unregistered ' and then you are out of the books. But indeed the Sacrament of Baptism is forever.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I was baptized into the Roman Catholic faith as an infant by my parents. As a young adult I chose to be re-baptized through my understanding of Christian faith, but it had nothing to do with Catholicism.

 

[kelleymac]

All I can say is that I have done 3 caminos, met loads of people, and have never heard anyone mention ‘religion’ or even use the word ‘pilgrim’!

As a pilgrim who is a practicing catholic-- I don't talk about my faith with those who aren't religious. There are ways to identify those who are walking for religious reasons. Some wearing a tau cross or a religious medal. There may be a rosary on the outside of a backpack, or the person may give thanks before meals. I also notice who is at mass with me.

 

[pepi]

I kept a somewhat related post unpublished for a long time for fear that it might break some rules of this forum. Reading this thread encourages me to release it anyway; at first, I spontaneously thought to place the post right here, but I don't want to "hijack" Chrissy's OP.
If interested, look it up: A secular Camino?

 

[Tincatinker]

the person may give thanks before meals. I also notice who is at mass with me.

I give thanks before meals. Every meal is something to be thankful for. Mass I’ll attend if the inclination takes me. Though the transubstantiation is easy for a pagan to accept I will not seek the Eucharist, I think even the most liberal of priests might be troubled if I did.
I’ve had some great conversations with the religious and the decidedly not along the thousand roads. And I’ve had some pretty pointless rucks. So it goes.

Please don’t choose not to talk to people just‘cos they’ve got a different hymn sheet.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

If interested, look it up: A secular Camino?

I looked it up, Pepi; your post sounds very respectful to me.

 

[kelleymac]

I give thanks before meals. Every meal is something to be thankful for. Mass I’ll attend if the inclination takes me. Though the transubstantiation is easy for a pagan to accept I will not seek the Eucharist, I think even the most liberal of priests might be troubled if I did.
I’ve had some great conversations with the religious and the decidedly not along the thousand roads. And I’ve had some pretty pointless rucks. So it goes.

Please don’t choose not to talk to people just‘cos they’ve got a different hymn sheet.

No worries there! I talk with everyone! But my faith is very close to my heart, and people scorning and belittling it hurts. So I am careful-- just like here on this forum, where we're not supposed to talk about it much.

 

[Robo]

Please don’t choose not to talk to people just‘cos they’ve got a different hymn sheet.

They are often the most interesting people to talk too!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

All I can say is that I have done 3 caminos, met loads of people, and have never heard anyone mention ‘religion’ or even use the word ‘pilgrim’!

They are often the most interesting people to talk to

I'm sure both are true statements, though opposite.

 

[Jas_LB]

Even 48% Catholic seems shockingly high!

Either the sample size was extremely skewed, they confused the terms “Christian” and “Catholic,” or they added things up incorrectly, but there is no way that’s correct.

I agree. I did my first Camino in 2022 for spiritual reasons and was very surprised there weren’t very many Catholics (I’d say 5 out of 20 that I got to know were Catholics). So seeing the 90% Catholics stats is very hard to believe.

Mind you, Catholics can be quite mute when it comes to their faith, so maybe it could be right (don’t judge me, it’s my own observation! And I also say that coz i am often one of those mute Catholics).

 

[Bogong]

La Voz de Galicia are reporting the headline figures from a survey of Camino pilgrims which suggests that around 90% are Catholic, about 48% claim to have walked for spiritual reasons, and that the average daily expenditure by pilgrims is about 80 euros.

El perfil de los peregrinos del Camino de Santiago: el 90 % son católicos, el 48 % lo hacen por motivos espirituales y la mayoría se gastan unos 70 euros al día

Un estudio de la USC, basado en encuestas y en el debate en las redes sociales, evidencia que quien lo finaliza lo recomienda y además no dudaría en volver a hacerlo

www.lavozdegalicia.es

Thinking a bit about this:
- people on this site are only a very tiny proportion of camino walkers. So I would be a bit careful about dismissing these figures too quickly;
- a lot of us tend to gravitate toward others we can communicate with who may be walking for various reasons and who may or may not be Catholic or even profess any Christian commitment;
- huge numbers of Spanish people walk in their summer holiday period. The old saying that Spanish person is a Catholic, even the athiests are Catholics comes to mind. This could have a significant influence on the percentages quoted.

The figures may well be close to the mark.

De colores. Bogong( I’m not a Catholic but do follow a catholic creed)

 

[WGroleau]

La Voz de Galicia are reporting the headline figures from a survey of Camino pilgrims which suggests that around 90% are Catholic, about 48% claim to have walked for spiritual reasons, and that the average daily expenditure by pilgrims is about 80 euros.

The Oficina de Peregrinos asks people for their motives. In 2021, the answers were:
Religioso y otros: 77298 (43,2%)
Religioso: 65063 (36,37%)
No religioso: 36551 (20,43%)
Of course that doesn't include the many who didn't care to stand in line and went to the other office for just another stamp. (I was one, and there were apparently a dozen others at the time I went in there.) And perhaps some just wanted a Compostela and answered accordingly. Not entirely a lie, eh—wanting a compostela might be considered a religious reason .

The same source shows that eighty percent are from mostly Catholic countries (68% Spanish) so ninety percent Catholic is believable.

https://catedral.df-server.info/est/peregrinaciones2021.pdf

But having done five or six hundred kilometers on Francés and Via de la Plata, and having spent a total of seventeen months in cities/villages on the Camino, I find the €80 per day extremely unlikely.

 

[poogeyejr]

I'm sure the survey was carried out in strict accordance with the rules of the Spanish Inquisition.

and . . . no one expects the Spanish Inquisition!

 

[Former member 102963]

I find it astounding that you never had a conversation in which those 2 words were used

Yes looking back I guess I am too! I knew nothing of the religious aspect of the walk until I found this forum which was after my walks. I didn’t really do any research before I started (as did it at a days notice as was already in mainland Europe) so didn’t come across anything. I walked pretty much with younger Europeans so maybe that was a factor! Maybe there was some conversations between folks which I didn’t understand as I know nothing about religions! I try to keep up with it all on here and ‘google’ is my friend.

 

[Former member 102963]

As a pilgrim who is a practicing catholic-- I don't talk about my faith with those who aren't religious. There are ways to identify those who are walking for religious reasons. Some wearing a tau cross or a religious medal. There may be a rosary on the outside of a backpack, or the person may give thanks before meals. I also notice who is at mass with me.

Yes agreed. I guess like minded folks tend to know the signs for folks with the same/similar interests.

In the UK we have a saying which often prompts a sign on many pub walls saying ‘no talking about football, politics, or religion’. We fail totally as football pretty much is talked about endlessly, politics is discussed a little, but not heard much on religion. I don’t think it would be too much of an issue in England but I wouldn’t chance it in Glasgow or Belfast!

 

[Kathar1na]

knew nothing of the religious aspect of the walk until I found this forum which was after my walks

That’s a little surprising, even when you walked with mainly young people. To walk the Camino Francés and never noticing the words pilgrim or peregrino in Pilgrim’s Menu or Menu del Peregrino and thinking, odd, I wonder what that means, doesn’t that word have something to do with pilgrimage and religion.

 

[Former member 102963]

That’s a little surprising, even when you walked with mainly young people. To walk the Camino Francés and never noticing the words pilgrim or peregrino in Pilgrim’s Menu or Menu del Peregrino and thinking, odd, I wonder what that means, doesn’t that word have something to do with pilgrimage and religion.

Yes I agree. I’m surprised too, but that’s how it was! Guess I just wasn’t paying enough attention which is very typical of me! I guess the word ‘Pilgrim’ must have flashed in front of my eyes at some point and maybe I didn’t register it! I guess my overall point is that I didn’t see an environment that was heavily or even relatively minorly religious.

 

[JabbaPapa]

I have to agree with the majority of commenters that the survey was really off. My first night on the Frances in Orisson in 2019, everyone at dinner had to stand and say why they were walking. I was sitting with a Basque and two Catalans. After everyone was finished, the Basque turned to me and exclaimed with great surprise that "no one mentioned religion."

My experience is that the great majority of Catholics only rarely discuss religion outside of certain forums or circumstances. Protestants a bit more, but still not commonly.

Personally I expected the majority to be Catholics, but was surprised by number of other religions, especially Anglican and Lutheran,

This forum is a bit of an Anglophone bubble, not really taking into account the huge numbers of Spanish and Portuguese pilgrims, or even the French and Italians, the vast majority of whom would be Catholics -- not necessarily practising, but nonetheless.

Or that many Catholics if asked what their religion is might naturally and often answer "Christian".

So the Voz de Galicia article did overstate the % of Catholics, but probably by less than some in here seem to think.

As a repetive peregrino I have NEVER been asked if I am Catholic or Lutheran or …..

I have, fairly frequently.

Almost 70% of the 91.5% spent between 20€ and 50€.

My own reading of the Voz de Galicia article is that it suggested between €30 and €50.

 

[Pafayac]

I wonder what that means, doesn’t that word have something to do with pilgrimage and religion.

Of course the etymology of the word "Peregrino", "Pilgrim" as something to do with religion.
But nowadays, even among the pilgrims who walks for religious reason on the Camino, how many do believe that the relics of apostle James are in Santiago de Compostela ? And how many take care about relics ?
The origin of the Camino has many to do with politics, even geopolitics; it has been set when pilgrimages and relics were very important for christian people. But the myth is known as a myth for a long time.

There is kind of magic on the Camino, but this mystery is open to everybody, atheist, christians, non-christians... the only key required to access it is to be open to other pilgrims, IMHO.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Of course the etymology of the word "Peregrino", "Pilgrim" has something to do with religion.

Classical Latin peregrinus means foreigner, outsider, traveller, sometimes pedlar/merchant, though it did start also to be used with a religious sense in the Late Latin period, 5th Century onwards.

Its more robust association with religious pilgrimage is more Mediaeval & Romance (including early Mediaeval and in the proto-Romance Latin dialects) ; though the derived word "Pilgrimage" itself does have a more strictly religious sense etymologically, as does the later Latin peregrinatio.

 

[Sirage]

the only key required to access it is to be open to other pilgrims,

Indeed!
- but on the crowded Frances (with a certain diversity of people walking) my impression that many do not even pretend to be pilgrims of any type and are not wanting magic or mystery. It also takes time to infuse whatever this magic is for each of us.

 

[Former member 102963]

Indeed!
- but on the crowded Frances (with a certain diversity of people walking) my impression that many do not even pretend to be pilgrims of any type and are not wanting magic or mystery. It also takes time to infuse whatever this magic is for each of us.

Yes that’s is certainly me. I see it as a hike alongside other hikes and quite happy with that! Wasn’t really looking for any magic but certainly enjoyed it! Each to their own! I can’t say I feel a need to be spiritual or religious, or seen as such, to enjoy it, though I totally respect many others will be looking for more than me and that’s great!

 

[Stivandrer]

Ah, stop press. I found the pdf file of the results of the study, posted by the Cathedral / Archdiocese of Santiago.

It would make more sense to continue the thread on the basis of the information in this document than on the basis of newspaper articles about the recent press conference.

Page 17-18 (translated and summarised):

Around 35% of the pilgrims (needless to say: 35 % of those surveyed) spent between €35 and €49 per day, followed by around 28% who spent between €20 and €34, and around 20% who spent between €50 to €69. Around 8,5% spent between €70 and €89 and less than 10% belong to the two extreme points of the scale with more than €90 or less than €20. ​

​

Each of us can now see to which percentage of the surveyed pilgrim population our own average daily expenditure corresponds.

The pdf document also contains the survey's questionnaire.

​

Source: https://archicompostela.es/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Percepciones-y-espiritualidad.pdf

Bless you, thou willst go to Heaven...
This makes soo much more sense...
I myself has gone from €26 a day in ´14 to €35 in ´19/´20..

 

[Kathar1na]

As to the 90% ... now that we have the actual report of the study in the form of an online digital pdf file at our fingertips and in front of our very own eyes, we can take a closer look ourselves.

There were 2 online questionnaires. No face to face interviews. One questionnaire for pilgrims who had walked one or more Caminos. And one questionnaire for potential pilgrims who are planning to walk a Camino in the near future.

1546 pilgrims answered the first questionnaire and 342 answered the second questionnaire. Makes 1888 pilgrims in total who are surveyed.

Note the nationalities: Pilgrims from 'traditional majority Catholic countries' such as Italy, Portugal, France and Spain are in the clear minority with Spain with less than 8 respondents (the number of Spanish nationals are not even separately listed so it's unknown and their number in the survey can anything from 0 to 7 pilgrims).

A quick rithmatic check of the columns for the question about spirituality which was Are you spiritual but not religious or Religious or Not religious? gives: 722 + 586 + 238 = 1546. Good, every pilgrim answered this question. Same result for the potential pilgrims.

Next comes the question about what kind of Religious your are with the 5 options Christian etc. (nobody was asked which branch of the Christian faith they feel attached to): 858 + 22 + 13 + 2 + 65 = 960. What's that? Nearly half of all the pilgrims did not say a thing about this? It says 89.4% next to Cristiano, that must be the 90% then. But 90% of what?

 

[sarahchicago]

As to the 90% ... now that we have the actual report of the study in the form of an online digital pdf file at our fingertips and in front of our very own eyes, we can take a closer look ourselves.

There were 2 online questionnaires. No face to face interviews. One questionnaire for pilgrims who had walked one or more Caminos. And one questionnaire for potential pilgrims who are planning to walk a Camino in the near future.

1546 pilgrims answered the first questionnaire and 342 answered the second questionnaire. Makes 1888 pilgrims in total who are surveyed.

Note the nationalities: Pilgrims from 'traditional majority Catholic countries' such as Italy, Portugal, France and Spain are in the clear minority with Spain with less than 8 respondents (the number of Spanish nationals are not even separately listed so it's unknown and their number in the survey can anything from 0 to 7 pilgrims).

A quick rithmatic check of the columns for the question about spirituality which was Are you spiritual but not religious or Religious or Not religious? gives: 722 + 586 + 238 = 1546. Good, every pilgrim answered this question. Same result for the potential pilgrims.

Next comes the question about what kind of Religious your are with the 5 options Christian etc. (nobody was asked which branch of the Christian faith they feel attached to): 858 + 22 + 13 + 2 + 65 = 960. What's that? Nearly half of all the pilgrims did not say a thing about this? It says 89.4% next to Cristiano, that must be the 90% then. But 90% of what?

View attachment 141213

(Warning: Super dull pedantic post ahead)
The methodology section of the paper doesn’t indicate how the survey respondents were selected or recruited. If the basic descriptive information about the sample, such as country of origin, does not reflect the descriptive information from the pilgrim office in Santiago, that is, ~42% of the sample is from Spain in the study sample and ~42% of the pilgrim office peregrines are from Spain, then the sample does not reflect the population of pilgrims who complete the pilgrim office questionnaire. This is just an illustration, I don’t remember the actual #s from the office for any given period, but the fact that the sample is 40% American suggests that the study is attempting to examine the motivations of non-Spaniards for walking the Camino, perhaps.
It’s not clear to me what population this survey is supposed to represent, so I emailed the authors to ask for the methodology write-up. I’ll report back here if I hear from any of them.

 

[Kathar1na]

(Warning: Super dull pedantic post ahead) [...] It’s not clear to me what population this survey is supposed to represent, so I emailed the authors to ask for the methodology write-up. I’ll report back here if I hear from any of them.

Thank you, @sarahchicago. Another thing that I noticed: the age of the pilgrims of the survey.

media (average) is 64 and deviación típica (standard deviation) is 9.7​

If I understand correctly this means that a clear majority of the pilgrims in this survey are between 54 and 74 years old?

 

[JabbaPapa]

Note the nationalities: Pilgrims from 'traditional majority Catholic countries' such as Italy, Portugal, France and Spain are in the clear minority with Spain with less than 8 respondents (the number of Spanish nationals are not even separately listed so it's unknown and their number in the survey can anything from 0 to 7 pilgrims).

Excellent research Kathar1na !!

This would suggest such a degree of underlying bias as to make unreliable all of these claims.

 

[JohnLloyd]

I can't think of another survey that has been so seriously critiqued, deconstructed and dismissed so quickly in recent times.

The authors must be cringing.

 

[Kathar1na]

I can't think of another survey that has been so seriously critiqued, deconstructed and dismissed so quickly in recent times. The authors must be cringing.

If they are cringing then it is because numerous comments have been made about the numbers in a news article about a press conference; about the numbers in the first post; about the numbers in the thread title; under the assumption that the survey is representative for Camino pilgrims as a whole - a claim I cannot see anywhere in the report; and all this without actually looking at the report itself and trying to understand what the numbers and percentages mean and what the report says.

 

[C clearly]

I can't think of another survey that has been so seriously critiqued, deconstructed and dismissed so quickly in recent times.

This puzzles me. Every survey and poll is roundly criticized, and this one goes to the heart of the forum community, so of course there is much debate and many questions. Are you following the analysis or just observing the indignation of pilgrims who know what they know, and are not interested in what a survey might reveal?

People are trying to reconcile the reported version against the real survey. The news media version had some obvious flaws that we quickly identified, but they have cast a negative pall over the whole survey. The survey likely had flaws, too, but this armchair analysis on an internet forum probably has a few weakness as well.

 

[Kathar1na]

But 90% of what?

In case that there is a misunderstanding: The question in post #66 isn't criticism. It was an attempt to invite people to engage and figure it out for themselves. I know the answer.

 

[sarahchicago]

Excellent research Kathar1na !!

This would suggest such a degree of underlying bias as to make unreliable all of these claims.

(Warning: more pedantry ahead)
@JabbaPapa (*loved* following your recent Camino, btw), this survey might very well be biased. But a survey isn’t biased if the survey sample (the respondents) represents the population the survey claims to represent (and it actually measures what it purports to measure). This paper doesn’t provide clear information on what population it represents, although the wording of the executive summary and the introduction in the paper imply that the results apply to “pilgrims” in general and/or recent pilgrimage completers and future potential pilgrims. So, the paper seems to contain some serious gaps in analysis, methodology, or both.
If the authors respond to my email, I will definitely report back here.
(I’ll also give them unsolicited feedback because I simply can’t restrain myself when it comes to survey methodology. The flesh is weak)

 

[Kathar1na]

I actually don‘t see any bias and I don’t see that the results of the study are unreliable or wrong. This is how I understand it: We asked around 1900 pilgrims and potential pilgrims to fill out our questionnaires. Here is what they said in reply to our questions.

It is not the fault of the authors when people wrongly jump to the conclusion that the 1900 pilgrims and potential pilgrims are representative for all pilgrims and potential pilgrims.

 

[sarahchicago]

I actually don‘t see any bias and I don’t see that the results of the study are unreliable or wrong. This is how I understand it: We asked around 1900 pilgrims and potential pilgrims to fill out our questionnaires. Here is what they said in reply to our questions.

It is not the fault of the authors when people wrongly jump to the conclusion that the 1900 pilgrims and potential pilgrims are representative for all pilgrims and potential pilgrims.

You are absolutely correct that the results are not biased if they only purport to represent the experiences of the 1900ish respondents. But doesn’t the intro imply the results represent pilgrims in general?
The paper doesn’t say how the researchers found the pilgrims to answer the survey, so the respondents could be self-selected. Self selection into the survey might lead to results that do not represent a larger population unless the study authors have “weighted” the responses to reflect a specific population. (The paper provides no info on survey weights).
It is the authors’ responsibility to clearly explain their sample recruitment and selection. This paper does not provide sufficient information on the methodology to determine whether the results represent anything more than the 1900ish people who completed the survey. It’s not wrong or bad research to study the opinions and experiences of a particular group, but researchers must clarify what population is represented in their results. This paper just needs clarification.
In any case, the research represents an interesting starting point for lively discussion and I hope the authors continue to analyze their data and,hopefully, compare their results against other datasets and future waves of surveys.

 

[dick bird]

I gave a very cursory look at the report and could not find any statement of who the population was, i.e. who the sample was drawn from, nor how the sample was selected nor what percentage of the population the sample represented. There was no information about non-respondents.

The questionnaires are 5 - 6 pages long and picked with detailed questions. Did every member of the chosen sample respond? It would be very surprising if they did. The analytical tools used were sophisticated but I seriously question the value of the data, given the uncertainty over what was being studied.

Half the report was given over to a careful and detailed analysis of posts on Twitter. It was not explained how people who hold Twitter accounts are representative of camino walkers.

The newspaper seriously misreports spending levels btw, only 12% spent 70 - 80 euros pd, 10% spend more, the rest spent between 20 and 69 euros.

There does not have to be bias for research to be flawed. I would much rather see this article in a peer-reviewed journal.

 

[Kathar1na]

Half the report was given over to a careful and detailed analysis of posts on Twitter. It was not explained how people who hold Twitter accounts are representative of camino walkers.

As I understand it the Twitter part of the survey was not about pilgrims or potential pilgrims. It was generally about perceptions of spirituality in connection with the Camino Santiago. The method is called "text mining" and they used certain hash tags as their basis. I guess that there is software for such an analysis. I vaguely remember that I either read it in the report or heard it in the video of the press conference; perhaps someone can confirm as I am too lazy to look it up again. They mined millions of tweets starting from the middle of 2021 until the end of their work which I guess was sometime in 2022.

 

[Kathar1na]

You are absolutely correct that the results are not biased if they only purport to represent the experiences of the 1900ish respondents. But doesn’t the intro imply the results represent pilgrims in general? The paper doesn’t say how the researchers found the pilgrims to answer the survey, so the respondents could be self-selected

I think that the respondents are self-selected. My Spanish listening skills are not very good so I don't understand the full context but I can hear that the presenter mentions un foro de peregrinos más grande de peregrinos a nivel internacional que se llama Santiago de Compostela punto me/community. And according to the slides, the data about the potential pilgrims at least are from that forum.

 

[David Tallan]

I think that the respondents are self-selected. My Spanish listening skills are not very good so I don't understand the full context but I can hear that the presenter mentions un foro de peregrinos más grande de peregrinos a nivel internacional que se llama Santiago de Compostela punto me/community. And according to the slides, the data about the potential pilgrims at least are from that forum.

View attachment 141263

Of course, we all know that the only forum that accurately represents the Camino pilgrim community is this one. ;-)

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Of course, we all know that the only forum that accurately represents the Camino pilgrim community is this one. ;-)

Yep, it's the "bubble" many of us are in.

 

[Billy Buell]

La Voz de Galicia are reporting the headline figures from a survey of Camino pilgrims which suggests that around 90% are Catholic, about 48% claim to have walked for spiritual reasons, and that the average daily expenditure by pilgrims is about 80 euros.

El perfil de los peregrinos del Camino de Santiago: el 90 % son católicos, el 48 % lo hacen por motivos espirituales y la mayoría se gastan unos 70 euros al día

Un estudio de la USC, basado en encuestas y en el debate en las redes sociales, evidencia que quien lo finaliza lo recomienda y además no dudaría en volver a hacerlo

www.lavozdegalicia.es

It's a bit comforting that catholics make up the majority as they pay for the upkeep of the many historic churches us non catholics benefit from.

 

[Kathar1na]

Isn't it high time to edit the title of this thread and the text of the first post? Please?

1546 pilgrims participated in the survey. Of these:

• 102 pilgrims identified themselves as belonging to another faiths than the Christian faith.
• 858 pilgrims identified themselves as Christian.
• Zero pilgrims identified themselves as Catholics. Not a single pilgrim of the 1546 pilgrims was asked whether he or she is Catholic or not.

All we know about the Catholics in the survey is this: 102 are not Catholic. That is 7% of the 1546 pilgrims of the survey. At least 7% are not Catholic. That's all we can know.

We simply don't know and cannot know how many are Catholics and what their percentage of the total number of pilgrims in the survey is !!!

 

[Bradypus]

Isn't it high time to edit the title of this thread and the text of the first post? Please?

The thread title is a direct translation of the original article headline. Which was of course a very sloppy and misleading piece of writing as has been comprehensively pointed out in the posts that followed. What do you suggest I alter it to read?

 

[WGroleau]

Note the nationalities: Pilgrims from 'traditional majority Catholic countries' such as Italy, Portugal, France and Spain are in the clear minority with Spain with less than 8 respondents (the number of Spanish nationals are not even separately listed so it's unknown and their number in the survey can anything from 0 to 7 pilgrims).

In 2021, 78% of the compostelas went to people from those four countries. They were 1st place, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th. Germany and USA were 4th and 5th, with less than four percent each.

 

[David Tallan]

The thread title is a direct translation of the original article headline. Which was of course a very sloppy and misleading piece of writing as has been comprehensively pointed out in the posts that followed. What do you suggest I alter it to read?

Maybe prefix "Sloppy journalism: " to the current title? Although that will make for a long title.

 

[JabbaPapa]

All right, so there is now some extra information.

I don't see it as "contradicting" the earlier statistics about the religious beliefs of pilgrims (or lack thereof) and if they are a part of their Camino purposes, as it is a study of primary motivations, which isn't quite the same thing.

I'd view it as complementary, in that whilst the larger part of Pilgrims are Christians, and of these mostly Catholic, a religious motivation is not necessarily the primary motivation of a Christian pilgrim on the Camino.

Anyway : https://nuevecuatrouno.com/2023/03/15/camino-santiago-fe-ya-no-mueve-peregrinos-rioja-encuesta/

La Asociación de Municipios del Camino de Santiago ha dado a conocer este miércoles los resultados de una investigación social en torno a la ruta Jacobea, al objeto de conocer las necesidades, intereses y motivaciones tanto del peregrino como del turista. Para ello se han realizado casi dos mil encuestas en diferentes municipios del Camino de Santiago Francés, a su paso por Aragón, Navarra, La Rioja, Castilla y León y Galicia.

...

Aunque en este apartado el estudio requeriría de una mayor profundización para poder hacer una caracterización más precisa, el perfil mayoritario sería el de un hombre español, que realiza el Camino a pie, solo o en un grupo reducido, y que ya tiene alguna experiencia previa en la Ruta Jacobea. De hecho, un 71 por ciento de los encuestados son hombres, el 95 % del total viajan solos o en grupos de menos de cinco personas, más del 60 por ciento son españoles y ya han realizado el recorrido con anterioridad.

...

En cuanto a las motivaciones, son muy diversas. El 71 por ciento de las personas encuestadas afirman que su principal motivación es la salud y el deporte, frente a un 20 por ciento que prioriza la religiosidad o espiritualidad y tan solo un 9 por ciento dice recorrerlo con fines exclusivamente turísticos o de ocio. La mayor parte de los entrevistados, un 84 por ciento, recorre el Camino a pie, frente a un 16 por ciento que opta por la bicicleta, especialmente en los municipios más cercanos a Compostela.

And :

https://www.elbierzodigital.com/estudio-perfil-peregrinos-turistas-camino-santiago/495594

De este modo, y teniendo en cuenta que sería necesaria más profundidad para hacer el estudio más preciso, el perfil mayoritario del peregrino sería el de un hombre español, que realiza el Camino a pie, solo o en grupos reducidos, y que ya tiene experiencia previa en la Ruta Jacobea. En cuanto a las motivaciones, el 71% señalan a la salud y el deporte frente a un 20% que prioriza la religiosidad o espiritualidad y un 9% que lo recorre únicamente por ocio. El 84% por ciento de los encuestados gasta menos de 50 euros diarios y un 16%, entre 50 y 100, alojándose principalmente en albergues (58%) y hostales (24%). La nota media que le ponen al Camino de Santiago es un 8,18 sobre 10.

-------------------

That the majority principal motivation should be sport and/or health is not that surprising, though I am a little surprised that the % should be so high. I would have guessed 50% - 60%, not 71%.

But the first article does nevertheless suggest that what pilgrims appreciate the most on the Camino is :

¿Cómo valoran el Camino Francés? La puntuación que da el peregrino a los diferentes aspectos de la ruta es de 8,18 sobre 10. La valoración más alta es para el patrimonio natural, cultural o histórico, frente a los precios que, en este caso, obtienen una calificación más baja.

And "cultural and historical" includes the religious. Not at all a surprise that nature scores so highly !!

The 9% of pilgrims with vacation/holiday purposes seems about right in my experience.

So the most typical pilgrim is a Spanish man, Catholic, walking alone, as a repeat pilgrim, and for reasons of sport and/or health.

 

[kelleymac]

Yes agreed. I guess like minded folks tend to know the signs for folks with the same/similar interests.

In the UK we have a saying which often prompts a sign on many pub walls saying ‘no talking about football, politics, or religion’. We fail totally as football pretty much is talked about endlessly, politics is discussed a little, but not heard much on religion. I don’t think it would be too much of an issue in England but I wouldn’t chance it in Glasgow or Belfast!

Hey! I have friends in Belfast and sometimes we talk religion. My friend and I are from mixed families (one parent protestant and one catholic). But you're right, we don't talk about it at the pub.