Religion in the organisational identity of Polish catholic universities: employees’ and students’ perceptions

This article examines how employees and students perceive the role of religion within the organisational identity of Catholic universities. Drawing on original survey data from employees (n = 509) and students (n = 822) at four Catholic universities in Poland, we introduce a five-item Religion in Organisational Identity of Catholic Universities (ROICU) exploratory scale and analyse perceptions using descriptive comparisons and hierarchical linear modelling. Across institutions, respondents recognise religion most clearly in public and heritage-related domains (e.g. holidays, references to tradition), while endorsements are more heterogeneous when respondents assess the extent to which religion is translated into everyday educational aims. Differences in ROICU scores are more strongly patterned by institutional clustering than by the individual characteristics, while employee–student differences are modest. The findings highlight how religion is experienced by respondents as an organisational feature shaped by institutional context, with implications for research on Catholic higher education in contemporary Europe.