age and religion

• Secularization


  Increasing lack of religious belief and practice in western society
• Factors impacting religious beliefs

  • Social class
  • Gender
  • Ethnicity
• Age


  • One of the most consistent social factors impacting religious belief
• The elderly are more likely to define themselves by their religious affiliation in the UK
• In 2018, 33% of those aged over 75 defined themselves as Anglican in the UK, compared to only 1% of 18-24 year olds
• This demonstrates a wider trend of greater religious belief the older individuals become
• In the most recent UK census, a third of those who identified as having no religious beliefs were under the age of 25
• In 2005, the average age for church attendance had risen from 37 to 49 in the UK
• 88% of those identifying as Muslims in the UK were under the age of 50
• Secularization


  Largely based within Christian religions in the UK
• Reasons for higher religiosity amongst the elderly

  • Increased awareness of mortality and seeking comfort in religion
  • Alignment with norms and values of previous generations
  • Communal aspects of religious membership providing companionship, sense of worth, and community
• Younger people's view of religion


  As a consumer good, leading to lower levels of belief in traditional religions
• Younger people whose parents have grown up with secularization are less likely to have received religious socialization
• What younger people perceive as sacred (independence, choice, freedom of expression) may now belong in the secular domain rather than the religious one
• The decline of religious education and Sunday schools has impacted the lower level of religious affiliation amongst younger people
• Increased multiculturalism and the decline of traditional religious education leads to a younger generation with more choice and less obligation to conform to religious practices
• In the US, there is a greater level of involvement in Christian religions across a broad range of denominations, cults and sects, fueled by youth membership
• The growth of new religious movements and new age movements has been a result of greater youth involvement, as people seek out new ideas while maintaining some form of belief in the spiritual aspects of society
• The difference in attendance by age may be less due to secularization and more related to increased desire to find alternatives to traditional religious practices