Nieuwe spiritualiteit en sociale betrokkenheid

New spirituality has often been criticized as being egocentric and lacking incentives
for social engagement. Critical authors are vague and/or differ in specifying who
they are writing about and what the criticism is. Empirical studies are scarce. After
seeking an adequate demarcation of the target group (people involved in new spirituality),
a concept of social engagement is established that distinguishes between
behavior that is and that is not driven by egocentric motivation. A representative
sample of the Dutch population has been surveyed using a questionnaire based on
this conceptual model. On most measures people involved in new spirituality are
less socially engaged than affiliated or traditionally religious people but more engaged
than ‘secular’ people. However, they are more committed to organizations for
environmental protection, peace, or animal rights than the other groups. Overall,
demographic factors – especially education, age, and gender – are stronger predictors
of social engagement than religious and spiritual beliefs, experiences, or
practices.