Authors of Research: Šimac Miha, Primc Liza, Juvan Jelena, Ristevska Teodora Tea, Maver Aleš, Hazemali David, Furlan Štante Nadja and Pirc Gašper
Year of Research: 2025
Key words: religion, armed forces, values, defence, spiritual care, religious care, Slovenian Armed Forces, military chaplain, defence studies, the well-being of soldiers
As part of the targeted research project “Religious and Spiritual Care for Members of the Slovenian Armed Forces in the 21st Century (REL-DUH SV)”, a study was conducted on the experiences, needs, and attitudes of members of the Slovenian Armed Forces, as well as on the functioning of the existing system of religious and spiritual care. The project was carried out in cooperation between the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia (MORS), the National Research Programme – Religion, Rituals and Spirituality (NZ-RRS), the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARRS), and the University of Ljubljana, and comprised two studies.
The quantitative study was based on the DUH-2025 online survey, conducted between March and June 2025, in which 142 members of the Slovenian Armed Forces participated. The survey examined their experiences, attitudes, and needs, as well as the significance of religious and spiritual care for well-being, ethical decision-making, interpersonal relationships, and functioning in the military environment.
The qualitative study comprised 11 semi-structured interviews with providers of religious and spiritual care in the Slovenian Armed Forces, conducted in March 2025. The interviews explored the legal, organisational, pastoral, and practical aspects of the existing system of religious and spiritual care in the Slovenian Armed Forces.
The research findings provide an important empirical basis for assessing and further developing the system of religious and spiritual care in the Slovenian Armed Forces, as well as for developing professional recommendations for its modernisation and adaptation to the needs of the contemporary military environment.
The survey and interview data are available as standalone datasets in the Slovenian Social Science Data Archives (ADP).
Cite the data:
Šimac, Miha; Primc, Liza; Juvan, Jelena; Ristevska, Teodora Tea; Maver, Aleš; Hazemali, David; Furlan Štante, Nadja; Pirc, Gašper (2026). Religiozna in duhovna oskrba za pripadnike Slovenske vojske v 21. stoletju, 2025: Spletna anketa med pripadniki Slovenske vojske. Univerza v Ljubljani, Fakulteta za družbene vede, Arhiv družboslovnih podatkov, V1. https://doi.org/10.17898/10086
Šimac, Miha; Primc, Liza; Juvan, Jelena; Ristevska, Teodora Tea; Maver, Aleš; Hazemali, David; Furlan Štante, Nadja; Pirc, Gašper (2026). Religiozna in duhovna oskrba za pripadnike Slovenske vojske v 21. stoletju, 2025: Intervjuji z izvajalci duhovne oskrbe. Univerza v Ljubljani, Fakulteta za družbene vede, Arhiv družboslovnih podatkov, V1. https://doi.org/10.17898/10085
Based on the research data, several publications were created:
