Abstract
The study was carried out in Poland during the years 1957 to 1965. The particular concern of the enquiry was young boys and girls aged between 15 and 20 years. 2694 young people were questioned in Warsaw, Lodz, Cracow, Wroclaw and Gdansk. The method adopted made use of both subjective and empirical procedures. Individual questionnaires and interviews allowed regulation of the enquiry as a whole. Moreover, both teachers and parents were consulted. The article gives the conclusions of the enquiry.
The influence of family environment is most evident among girls and in the majority of cases this influence is positive (= attaining its object): believing girls are more subject to these positive influences than are those who do not believe; believing boys, however, are more subject to negative influences than those who do not believe.
The enquiry further observes the influence of relations among young people, especially the influence of discussions and example.
A third part has as its conclusion the central importance of the influence of the school.
Finally, the influence of cultural factors (study, entertainment) is established as important and capable of killing the religious sense by means of the doubt and denial spread by the culture. This baleful influence is verified in 1869 cases out of the 2694.