AGE & RELIGION Flashcards
Age and religious participation
The general pattern of participation is that the older a person is, the more likely they are to attend religious services - with two exceptions, the under 15s and the over 65s.
- Under 15s are more likely to go to church as they may be made to attend by parents.
- Over 65s are more likely to be sick or disabled and unable to attend.
Reasons for age differences
* The aging effect
* The period/cohort effect
* Secularisation
The Ageing Effect
People turn to religion as they get older. As they approach death, they become more concerned about the afterlife. As we approach death we ‘naturally’ become more concerned about spiritual matters and the afterlife, repentance of past misdeeds etc. (Heelas)
The period or cohort effect
- People born during a particular period may be more or less likely to be religious because of particular events they lived through, such as war or rapid social change.
Age and secularisation
As religion declines in importance, each generation becomes less religious than the one before it
Voas and Crockett
Found that in each succeeding generation, only 1/2 as many people are religious compared to the generation before it.
Arweck and Beckford, 2013
Secularisation has led to the ‘virtual collapse of religious socialisation’ after the 1960s. E.G in the 50s traditional Sunday schools enrolled 1/3 of all 14yr olds, now they have disappeared.
Religious organisations
Main types:
- Churches, sects, denominations and cults
- While some people hold religious beliefs without belonging to any organised group, many others express their faith through membership of a religious organisation such as the church.
eva
- The data for Muslims might be just as questionable
- religious faith and observance tends to be seen as very important in Muslim families and there may be assumptions about the religious beliefs of family members that would be entered onto the census form without necessarily reflecting people’s private beliefs.
- believing w/o belonging
