Age and Religion
- - In general, people seem to develop a greater attachment to religion as they get older
- Belief in God is lowest among those under 34 and highest among those over the age of 55
- More than 1/2 of young people say they don’t regard themselves as religious at all, which
contrasts with only 2% of those over the age of 65
- BRUCE found that the age gap between churchgoers and non-churchgoers had widened in
all Christian denominations over the past 25yrs
- HEELAS ET AL found that the majority of those involved in New Age ideas which may appeal
more to less traditionally minded young people, were middle aged or older
Older people and Religion
- Attachment of older people to religion is explained by 3 main factors:
1. Disengagement- As people get older they become detached from the integrating
mechanisms of society. Older people may face a growing privatisation of their lives, with
increasing social isolation. Participation in religious organisations provides a form of social
support in this situation
2. Religious Socialisation- Older people are more likely to have had a greater emphasis placed
on religion through the education system and socialisation in the family when they were
younger.
3. Ill health and death- Older people tend to face declining health and often see death as
imminent. These are the things religion concerns itself with. The ageing process and
disengagement from society may generate an engagement with religion for comfort,
meaning and support
Younger people and Religion
- Young people are less religious in terms of their expressed religious belief in surveys and
their participation in mainstream Christian religions
- This doesn’t necessarily mean that young people are lacking all spirituality or religious
belief
- It may be that they are simply expressing their beliefs in new, private ways which are
difficult to record in statistical surveys
Why do young people appear less religious?
VOAS and CROCKETT
- According to VOAS and CROCKETT there are 2 main explanations for age differences in
religious participation
The ageing effect- View that people turn to religion as they get older
The generational effect- View that as society becomes more secular, each new generation is
less religious than the one before
- VOAS and CROCKETT argue that the generational effect is the more significant explanation
for age difference in religious participations
- - In general, people seem to develop a greater attachment to religion as they get older
- Belief in God is lowest among those under 34 and highest among those over the age of 55
- More than 1/2 of young people say they don’t regard themselves as religious at all, which
contrasts with only 2% of those over the age of 65
- BRUCE found that the age gap between churchgoers and non-churchgoers had widened in
all Christian denominations over the past 25yrs
- HEELAS ET AL found that the majority of those involved in New Age ideas which may appeal
more to less traditionally minded young people, were middle aged or older
Older people and Religion
- Attachment of older people to religion is explained by 3 main factors:
1. Disengagement- As people get older they become detached from the integrating
mechanisms of society. Older people may face a growing privatisation of their lives, with
increasing social isolation. Participation in religious organisations provides a form of social
support in this situation
2. Religious Socialisation- Older people are more likely to have had a greater emphasis placed
on religion through the education system and socialisation in the family when they were
younger.
3. Ill health and death- Older people tend to face declining health and often see death as
imminent. These are the things religion concerns itself with. The ageing process and
disengagement from society may generate an engagement with religion for comfort,
meaning and support
Younger people and Religion
- Young people are less religious in terms of their expressed religious belief in surveys and
their participation in mainstream Christian religions
- This doesn’t necessarily mean that young people are lacking all spirituality or religious
belief
- It may be that they are simply expressing their beliefs in new, private ways which are
difficult to record in statistical surveys
Why do young people appear less religious?
VOAS and CROCKETT
- According to VOAS and CROCKETT there are 2 main explanations for age differences in
religious participation
The ageing effect- View that people turn to religion as they get older
The generational effect- View that as society becomes more secular, each new generation is
less religious than the one before
- VOAS and CROCKETT argue that the generational effect is the more significant explanation
for age difference in religious participations
