Social and Religious Factors in Pilgrimages on the Way of Saint James
ANETA ANNA OMELAN
Department of Tourism, Recreation and Ecology, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and MazuryOlsztyn, Poland
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, GRAŻYNA FURGAŁA-SELEZNIOW
Department of Tourism, Recreation and Ecology, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and MazuryOlsztyn, Poland
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and MAŁGORZATA JANKUN-WOŹNICKA
Department of Tourism, Recreation and Ecology, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and MazuryOlsztyn, Poland
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Jul 02, 2025
About this article
Published Online: Jul 02, 2025
Page range: 95 - 105
Received: Jan 21, 2025
Accepted: Apr 28, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14746/quageo-2025-0021
Keywords
© 2025 Aneta Anna Omelan et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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Making the journey to Santiago de Compostela (n = 278)_
| Factor | Respondents (n = 278) | Respondents (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Pilgrimage mode | ||
| Hiking | 261 | 93.9 |
| Bicycle | 17 | 6.1 |
| Total kilometres | ||
| 100–200 | 21 | 7.6 |
| 200–400 | 107 | 38.5 |
| 400–700 | 51 | 18.3 |
| 700–1000 | 71 | 25.5 |
| Over 1000 | 28 | 10.1 |
| Average daily kilometres | ||
| 16–30 | 222 | 79.9 |
| Over 30 | 56 | 20.1 |
| Daily expenses (€) | ||
| 5–15 | 112 | 40.3 |
| 16–40 | 160 | 57.5 |
| Over 40 | 6 | 2.2 |
| Place of accommodation | ||
| Albergue | 240 | 85.3 |
| Rental rooms | 16 | 5.8 |
| Tent | 20 | 7.2 |
| Open air | 2 | 0.7 |
| Companionship | ||
| Alone | 97 | 34.9 |
| With one companion | 106 | 38.1 |
| In small group | 75 | 27.0 |
| Impact on life and personality | ||
| yes | 201 | 72.3 |
| No | 16 | 5.8 |
| Not sure | 61 | 21.9 |
Demographics of respondents_
| Typical features | Respondents (n = 278) | Respondents (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | ||
| Male | 89 | 32.0 |
| Female | 189 | 68.0 |
| Age | ||
| under 18 | 1 | 0.4 |
| 18–45 | 143 | 51.4 |
| 46–65 | 117 | 42.1 |
| over 65 | 17 | 6.1 |
| Faith | ||
| Catholicism | 236 | 84.9 |
| Protestantism | 5 | 1.8 |
| Other | 10 | 3.6 |
| Religiously indifferent | 27 | 9.7 |
| Place of residence | ||
| Countryside | 40 | 14.4 |
| Town with population of up to 50,000 | 51 | 18.3 |
| City with 50,000 to 150,000 inhabitants | 52 | 18.7 |
| City with 150,000 to 500,000 inhabitants | 42 | 15.1 |
| City of more than 500,000 inhabitants | 93 | 33.5 |
| Education | ||
| Primary | 3 | 1.1 |
| Vocational | 5 | 1.8 |
| Secondary | 39 | 14.0 |
| Higher | 231 | 83.1 |
| Financial situation | ||
| Very good | 41 | 14.75 |
| Good | 156 | 56.12 |
| Average | 77 | 27.70 |
| Poor | 4 | 1.44 |
Preparation for a pilgrimage along the Way of St James (n = 278)_
| Factor | Respondents (n = 278) | Respondents (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Inspiration | ||
| Internet | 39 | 14.0 |
| Friends and family | 80 | 28.8 |
| Film and literature | 149 | 53.6 |
| Other | 10 | 3.6 |
| Pilgrimage organiser | ||
| Independently | 263 | 94.6 |
| Travel office | 5 | 1.8 |
| Church | 10 | 3.6 |
| Time to prepare for pilgrimage | ||
| More than year | 45 | 16.2 |
| 6–12 months | 71 | 25.5 |
| 1–5 months | 102 | 36.7 |
| Less than one month | 60 | 21.6 |
Experience of pilgrimage/religious tourism (n = 278)_
| Factor | Respondents (n = 278) | Respondents (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Previous pilgrimage experience | ||
| yes | 184 | 66.2 |
| No | 94 | 33.8 |
| Type of pilgrimage | ||
| Domestic | 180 | 64.7 |
| International | 102 | 36.7 |
| Pilgrimage mode (n=184) |
||
| Hiking | 128 | 69.5 |
| Bus | 27 | 14.7 |
| Bicycle | 6 | 3.3 |
| Other | 23 | 12.5 |
| Frequency of pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela | ||
| Once | 148 | 53.2 |
| Twice | 56 | 20.1 |
| Three to five times | 51 | 18.4 |
| More than five times | 23 | 8.3 |