1949. ÉVI NÉPSZÁMLÁLÁS Vallási adatok százalékos megoszlása településenkent (1996)

PREFACE

PREFACE It was towards the end of the last year that we published our volume „1949 Population Census: Data on Religions by Localities", on 124 pages, with the assistance of the National Scientific Research Fund. However, that publication has not contained any distribution in percentages. The Preface of that volume contains some references I thought worthy of note. With no aim of repeating, one may wish to read a summary of the most important statements. Among Hungarian censuses, it was the 1949 one which the last contained the question on religion, thus the 1949 data consitute the last values of the historical data series concerning the changes in the religious distribution of the population. The social and political circumstances of that time did not allow for the publication of 1949 data on religion according to the locality level. This could only be done now, after the systemic change. The publication of locality level data can be justified, among other factors, by the fact that they may serve as basis for future comparative analyses. These data are suitable for such purposes in all regards, since they already reflect the changes called forth by the important population movements during and following World War II. Without aiming at completeness, one should mention here the Holocaust having provoked radical changes both in the size and in the regional distribution of the Jewish community in Hungary, the deportation of an important part of the German population, the resettling - called population exchange - including also that of the Csángós and the great number of voluntary resettlements which took place primarily from the areas temporarily re-annexed between 1938 to 1941, but also from other regions populated by Hungarians of the neighbouring countries. This points to the data being reliable, to the proportions having not been shifted and, consequently, to their suitability for serving as a basis of comparison with past and future surveys. It was after the 1949 population census that the Hungarian state administration was reorganized. The population census was conducted according to the former administrative division (Budapest and 25 counties), however a major part of the data were published according to the new administrative division. So, according to that form of publication, the data on religion by localities were also processed, and are published here in conformity with the new administrative division. The processing table material for compiling locality level statistics is more or less complete; significantly deficient are only the data of the county of Fejér. Because of the deficiencies of the data of the county of Fejér, for information, the respective 1941 data and 7