Samoan People in New Zealand
- In 2001, 90 percent of Samoan people reported an affiliation with a Christian religion. Of those Samoans with a religion, the most common religious affiliations were Catholic (28 percent of those with an affiliation) and Presbyterian (24 percent) – followed by Methodist (10 percent), Pentecostal (10 percent) and Latter-day Saints (9 percent). `
- Overseas-born Samoans were more likely to report a religious affiliation than New Zealand-born Samoans (98 percent compared with 86 percent). The older age structure of the overseas-born population may be a contributing factor.
- Higher proportions of Samoan people in older age groups reported having a religious affiliation than their younger counterparts, as figure 3.1 shows. In 2001, 97 percent of Samoans aged between 45 and 64 reported a religious affiliation, whereas the equivalent proportion for those aged between 25 and 34 years was 91 percent.
- In 2001, 9 percent of Samoan people stated they had no religious affiliation. Among the Pacific population, the equivalent figure in 2001 was 12 percent, whereas almost a third of the New Zealand population stated they had no religious affiliation in 2001.
