Religion and ways of belief and existence of two generations of people: a qualitative investigation into the Braga district of Portugal

The present work aims to investigate the religious beliefs and ways of believing of two generations of people born in the decades of 1940–1950 and 1965–1975 in the Portuguese region of Braga. We assume that people from both generations share common experiences and values that connect them—experiences they have built in relation to specific life situations and through the bonds they have established with other generations. To carry out this research, we have used a qualitative methodology based on the techniques of Life Stories and Focus Groups. The results of our research show that the ways of believing and relating to the world of religion are quite common among people of the same generation, and substantially different between people of both generations. However, this difference does not necessarily manifest itself in a rupture or opposition between the members of these generations, but above all in the reworking of what they have received and experienced in the light of new experiences and new values.