Poland activists urge people to think before ticking Catholic box in census

Campaigners hope more accurate picture of country's makeup will challenge government narrative of near-universal Catholicism

Activists in Poland are asking people to consider if they are truly Roman Catholic when filling out a national census, hoping a more accurate picture of the country's makeup will challenge a government narrative of near-universal Catholicism.

In the previous census, completed a decade ago, 96% of respondents claimed they were Roman Catholic. This has been used by the rightwing Law and Justice (PiS) party to justify a series of controversial hardline changes it supports, including stopping public funding of IVF treatments and a near-total ban on abortion.