Religion and Age (CAGELS) - Beliefs

Question 1

What is the general trend?

Answer 1

People appear to become more religious as they get older

Question 2

Why are under 15s likely to have high participation rates?

Answer 2

Because they are made to attend by parents

Question 3

Why might religious over 65s be unable to attend?

Answer 3

More likely to be sick/disabled

Question 4

According to a BSA survey how many young people regard themselves as not religious?

Answer 4

More than 50%

Question 5

What does Bruce suggest?

Answer 5

The age gap between churchgoers and non-churchgoers has widened in all Christian denominations

Question 6

Why does Gill suggest that these trends are happening?

Answer 6

Children are no longer receiving a religious socialisation meaning they are less likely to become churchgoers in later life

Question 7

What church still attracts younger members?

Answer 7

Pentecostal churches

Question 8

What is Voas and Crockett’s ageing effect?

Answer 8

Believe people turn to religion as they get older

Question 9

What is the disengagement explanation?

Answer 9

As people get older they become attached from a societies integrating structures such as work. They face growing privatisation of their lives and so religious participation forms social support

Question 10

What is the religious socialisation explanation?

Answer 10

Older people are more likely to have had a greater emphasis placed upon religion during their socialisation and education

Question 11

What is the Ill-health and death explanation?

Answer 11

The ageing process, together with disengagement from society generates a function for religion of comfort, coping, meaning and support

Question 12

What is Voas and Crockett’s generational effect?

Answer 12

Believe this is the most significant as each new generation is half as religious as their parents
- As society becomes more secular, each new generation is less religious than the one before

Question 13

What does Heelas’ Kendall Project demonstrate?

Answer 13

How people become more interested in spirituality as they get older

Question 14

Why might religion be less attractive to young people?

Answer 14

Don’t want to follow rules e.g. no alcohol, don’t want to dedicate time to religion and may not agree with traditional religious values

Question 15

Why might young people be less religious due to increased choices? (Lynch)

Answer 15

Lynch: Young people turning away from traditional religion due to an expanded spiritual marketplace
- Increased knowledge of other religions due to immigration

Question 16

Why might young people be less religious due to privatisation of belief?

Answer 16

• Might be deciding to treat their faith as a private matter
• Even if they hold a belief they may feel like they do not belong and may not want to display it publicly
  Davie: ‘believing without belonging’

Question 17

Why might young people be less religious due to secular spirituality? (Lynch)

Answer 17

Lynch: Young people may find religious feeling inspired by parts of secular life:
- seeing celebrates as gods
- wanting/worshiping material goods
= ‘finding new forms of religiosity

Question 18

Why might young people be less religious due to practical reasons?

Answer 18

• Spend more time in education
• Leisure seen as more enjoyable
• Need for part-time jobs (increased tuition fees) = less time for religion
• Demands from friends - ‘uncool’ to be religious

Question 19

Why might young people be less religious due to declining religious education? What does Bruce suggest?

Answer 19

• Legal requirement doe schools to hold ‘collective worship’ but most resort to secular methods
• Parents more secular than grandparents
  Bruce: C of E loosing recruits due to decline in no. of Sunday schools

Question 20

Why might young people be less religious due to secularisation?

Answer 20

Lyotard: metanarratives such as religion have lost their influences due to how people explain the world
- Science has much more of an influence in today’s society - young people ‘pick and mix’ from a range of belief systems