Religious inclusion in Indonesia’s higher education: a national survey on knowledge, attitudes, and practices among undergraduate students

Indonesia faces challenges in realizing religious inclusiveness in higher education. Although there have been many studies on religious diversity in Indonesia, there is still a knowledge gap regarding the level of religious inclusiveness among university students. This study aims to develop theories...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Millatuz Zakiyah, Destriana Saraswati, M. Alifudin Ikhsan, Mohamad Anas, Yulianto
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Cogent Education
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2536536
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Summary:Indonesia faces challenges in realizing religious inclusiveness in higher education. Although there have been many studies on religious diversity in Indonesia, there is still a knowledge gap regarding the level of religious inclusiveness among university students. This study aims to develop theories, concepts, dimensions, and measurement instruments, as well as measure the level of religious inclusiveness among Indonesian university students. The research was conducted in 48 universities in Indonesia, including state universities and faith-based universities, with respondents from various religious and ethnic backgrounds. This research method uses a quantitative approach with a questionnaire survey conducted during the period 2023–2024 involving 766 students. The findings of this study reveal that the level of religious inclusiveness of Indonesian students is generally in the high category. The dimension of respondents’ understanding of religious inclusiveness is higher than other dimensions. Students from religious-based universities show lower levels of inclusiveness than students from general universities. Respondents with a religious-based secondary education background had lower levels of inclusiveness than those with a general school background. Female respondents showed higher levels of religious inclusiveness than males. This finding indicates the need for more targeted university policies to increase religious inclusiveness, especially in faith-based universities.
ISSN:2331-186X