Social Groups- Age

Question 1

Disengagement AO1

Answer 1

As people get older they become detached from the integrating mechanisms of society such as participation in work
Older people may face a growing privatisation of their lives with increasing social isolation as partners and friends die
Religious groups offer social support

Question 2

Disengagement AO3

Answer 2

People may be turning to religion for social aspect rather than being religious
Tight knit asian families
Belonging without belief (Davie)

Question 3

Religious socialisation AO1

Answer 3

As society becomes more secular, each new generation is less religious than before
More old people than young in church congregations today, because they grew up at a time when religion was popular
Older people more likely to have greater emphasis on religion through education and socialisation in family

Question 4

Religious socialisation AO3

Answer 4

Weak religion
During mid life people lose religosity then turn to it when they’re older
Increasing numbers of faith schools
New age movements
Secularisation is not happening

Question 5

Ill health and death AO1

Answer 5

Older have declining health
Ageing process and disengagement from society may generate engagement with religion for comfort coping and meaning
As we approach death we naturally become more concerned about spiritual matters and afterlife, repentance of misdeeds ext

Question 6

Ill health and death AO3

Answer 6

Marx analysis- people turn to religion when they need comfort
Rationalisation - Weber and Bruce
Opium of the people - Marx

Question 7

Religion unattractive to young AO1

Answer 7

Find services boring, repetitive and old fashioned, full of old people and out of touch with styles and attitudes of young
- issues like abortion, contraception, women priests and bishops, gay priests, gay rights, sex before marriage seem bizarre to many young people

Question 8

Religion unattractive to young AO3

Answer 8

Christocentric- does not reflect experiences of EM young people in Britain who tend to be more religious
Cant be generalised to Christianity globally
Pentecostal churches continue to attract younger members

Question 9

Expanding spiritual marketplace AO1

Answer 9

Lynch
Young may be turnung away from conventional ideas of religion as there is now an expanded spiritual marketplace (Roof)
Growing exposure and accessibility to a wide diversity of religious ideas
Lynch- more sources for young to draw on to build religious beliefs outside of traditional religions

Question 10

Expanding spiritual marketplace AO3

Answer 10

Spirituality is seen as weak religion (Bruce)
Watered down faith- doesn’t require much commitment and young people dip in and out of it

Question 11

Declining religious education AO1

Answer 11

Bruce
CofE is increasingly unable to recruit young by socialising them into religious thinking through things like Church Sunday schools or RE
Sunday schools declining
Christian research- century ago over half of all children attended Sunday school by 2000 fallen to 1/25
By 2016 hardly any Sunday schools

Question 12

Declining religious education AO3

Answer 12

Faith schools still remain
These schools emphasise religiosity
Religious socialisation is taking place for some young people
Not true for EM people

Question 13

Pragmatic reasons AO1

Answer 13

Range of possible more practical or pragmatic explanations for decline of religious belief and commitment among young
Leisure become a bigger part of life
Shops, clubs, pubs all open for long hours including Sundays
Young have more demands on time and may have more enjoyable things to do

Question 14

Pragmatic reasons AO3

Answer 14

Davie- belonging without believing
Shops shut early on Sundays