YOUNG

The outcome of an empirical audience study in Sweden, including questionnaires, focus groups and 10 in-depth individual interviews discussing favourite films, supports claims about viewers as active and playful (cf. Frampton, 2006; Hoover, 2006; Plantinga, 2009). The soft side of mediatization processes is illustrated showing young adults experiencing enchantment through films (Jerslev, 2006; Klinger, 2008; Oliver and Hartmann, 2010; Partridge, 2008). The outcome is in line with a growing number of empirical case studies which support conclusions that both thinking and behaviour are affected by film watching (Axelson, 2014; Marsh, 2007; Oliver and Hartmann, 2010; Suckfüll, 2010). The results of the interviews exploring specific scenes of idiosyncratic relevance support theories about fiction films as important sources for moral and spiritual reflection (Lynch, 2007; Partridge, 2004; Plantinga, 2009; Zillman, 2005). The concept of ‘thick viewing’ is proposed for capturing these moments of film experience when profound and enchanted emotional interpretations take place.

The article presents an empirical understanding of the sacred among the Filipino youth from a multicultural and multifaith context. A multistage item development in Manila and Mindanao was undertaken to prepare a Likert scale meant to explore the empirical dimensions of the construct ‘sacred’. Exploratory factor analysis was utilized to identify the underlying factor structure. The results reveal a four-factor structure: religious, valued, ethical and communal. Filipino youths’ notions veered away from the traditional sacred–profane continuum by introducing a personal–religious dynamic. The results underscore the affinity of the religious dimensions (divine and communal) to Filipino youths’ personal appreciation (ethical and valued) of the sacred.

This study examined young adults’ perspectives on the concept of the sacred. Altogether, 334 young Finnish adults aged 19–35 were studied through a self-report questionnaire. The participants’ personal conceptions, reflections and experiences of the sacred were assessed with open-ended questions. Answers were classified in a data-determined content analysis using a thematic analytical approach. In addition, the study examined how these understandings of the sacred were related to subjective religiosity and how the definitions vary across gender. The findings suggest that the conceptions of the sacred mainly concentrate on individuality and personal issues, including personal opinion, rest and peace, but also close social relationships and the church as an institution. By differentiating the conceptions of the sacred, this study reflects cultural interpretations of what the sacred means and integrates the concept in the theory of young adulthood as a life course phase and in the sociology of youth.

With a focus on the significance attributed to ‘Chi’ in Lego, Legends of Chima, the aim of this article is to examine how religion is produced, reproduced and transmitted in the products and narratives that have been developed around one of the toy company Lego’s recent commercial successes. The article will explore the intersection between New Age spirituality, transmedia toy supersystems and global, hybridized popular culture as a noteworthy site for religious change, a site where Lego accordingly becomes a potential contributor in these transformations.

The engagement of young people of religious faith with global injustice has been little explored in studies either of youth religiosity or youth political participation. The recently established youth initiatives of Christian Aid and Tearfund—two of the UK’s most widely recognized Christian non-governmental organizations (NGOs)—offer a way to explore this, alongside the SPEAK Network, a grassroots Christian student and youth movement that campaigns on social justice issues. Analyzing the blog posts of these three initiatives, this article will focus particularly upon the ways in which Tearfund Rhythms, the Christian Aid Collective and SPEAK use popular culture, categorizing their various uses as either innovation, appropriation, resistance or reclamation. It will then explain the groups’ differing emphases by considering their varying relationships with their members and their different religious positioning, before critically assessing what it means for young adults to ‘do’ religion and politics online.