Age

• What is the general pattern of religious participation related to age?

  Older individuals are more likely to attend
• Why are individuals under 15 more likely to attend church?

  They have less choice and are taken by parents
• What is the trend in church attendance for age groups under 65?

  There is an ongoing fall in attendance
• By how much is the number of 15-19 year olds projected to fall by 2025?

  By half, from 126,000 to 63,000
• What percentage of all churchgoers will 15-19 year olds represent by 2025?

  2.5% of all churchgoers
• What proportion of English churches have no one under 20 attending?

  Half of all English churches
• What are the three possible explanations for age differences in religiosity according to Voas and Crockett?

  1. The ageing effect
  2. The period or cohort effect
  3. Secularisation
• What does the ageing effect suggest about people's relationship with religion?


  People turn to religion as they age
• What evidence does Heelas (2005) provide regarding spirituality and age?

  People become more interested in spirituality as they age
• What is the period or cohort effect in relation to religiosity?

  Religiosity is influenced by historical events
• What is secularisation in the context of religion?

  Religion declines in importance over generations
• What did Voas and Crockett find regarding younger people's religiosity?

  Younger people are less religious than older people
• What significant change occurred in religious socialisation in the 1960s?

  The virtual collapse of religious socialisation
• What happened to traditional Sunday schools since the 1950s?

  They have largely disappeared
• What is the likelihood of children becoming churchgoers if their parents share the same faith?

  50/50 chance of becoming churchgoers
• What happens to the chances of children becoming churchgoers if their parents have different faiths?

  The chances fall to one in four
• What demographic change is expected in churchgoers by 2025?

  Over four in ten will be aged 65 or older
• What is the implication of not having young people joining congregations?

  Practicing Christians will become a small, old minority