Social groups (Age/Ethnicity) religiosity Flashcards
What age is associated with being the most religious?(Mostly true of Christianity in the UK)? What is this view criticised for being?
-It is often said older people are more religious,
-Although this could be an ethnocentric view.
In the 2011 UK census what % of Muslims were under 50?
What % of Christians were aged over 65? Muslims?
What was the amount of people who were under the age of 25 that said they had no religion?
Despite this what young age range are more likely to go church than most people? Why is this the case?
According to Brierely(2015) by 2025 what % of 15-19 year olds will be church goers?
In the 2011 UK Census;
-88% of Muslims were under 50.
-22% of Christians were aged over 65.
-Only 3.9% of Muslims were aged over 65.
-A third of people under the age of 25 said they had no religion.
-Despite this young people in the age range under 15s are more likely to go church.
-This is likely because they have less choice in the matter and are made to go by their parents.
-Brierly notes by 2025 a mere 2.5% of all church goers will be 15-19 year olds.
What three possible reasons do Voas and Crockett suggest for age differences in religiosity?
Explain these.
What are Voas Crockett criticised for ignoring?
-The ageing effect, The period or cohort effect, secularisation.
-The ageing effect; As we approach death, we may become more concerned about the afterlife and so more likely to go to church.
-The period effect; people born in an earlier period may be more likely to be religious because of the events they lived through, such as war or rapid social changes.
-Secularisation; As religion declines in importance in society each generation becomes less religious than one before it. Explaining why less young people are religious than those before.
-Voas and Crockett are criticised for not mentioning that children are more likely to go church than most age groups, because their parents may make them go.
What 3 things about old people make them more likely to be religious?(morality,socialisation,social life)
What about young people make them less likely to be religious according to Lycnh? Bruce?
-Old people are more aware of their own morality.
-Socialised to be more religious(because society was more religious when they were young).
-Benefit from a social life and support, to avoid isolation.
Young people;
-Find religious institutions boring/unattractive.
-Have many other demands on their time/attention.
-Lynch argues young people use other institutions for the functions of religions i.e. music, sport, celebrity culture.
-Do not have the religious education of older generations according to Bruce(Sunday schools).
What did Modood find in his study?
What did he conclude about religiosity amongst minorities in the UK?
What evidence suggests that this has become more apparent today(patterns between ethnicities)?
Why is this criticised?
-Modood found that less than a third of Christians said they practised regularly. Whereas 80% of Muslims and over 2/3 of Sikhs and Jews.
-Modood concluded that nearly all minority ethnic groups in the UK are more religious than the white British majority.
-There are some different patterns between ethnicites e.g. Pakistani and Bangladeshi Muslims in the UK see their religion as their primary identity: young Muslims know more about their religion than their parents while their is a decline in religiosity among sikh men, e.g. current generation less likely to wear a turban.
-Modood criticised because despite minorities’ higher participation rates, there has been some decline in the importance of religion for all ethnic groups, especially among second generation.
According to Bruce how does religion act as a form of cultural defence?
How does Bird’s explanation support this? (Pentecostal churches in the UK)
According to Bruce how does religion act as a form of cultural transition?
-Cultural defence is where religion serves to unite a community against an external threat. It symbolises the group or society’s collective identity.
-Bird notes, religion among minorities can be a basis for communtiy solidarity, means of preserving one’s culture and language, a way of coping with oppression in a racist society(e.g. afro-caribbean’s founding pentecostal churches after being not welcome by white ones.)
-Cultural transition: Bruce argues that religion helps ease new migrants into a new society.
What religion did Ken Pryce study? Where?
What did he conclude about the religion?
‘Protestant ethic’?
How was Rastafarianism different to the other religion study for these groups?
-Ken Pryce studied Pentecostalism in Britsol.
-Pryce’s study shows both cultural defence and cultural transition have been important.
-He argues Pentecostalism is a highly adaptive religion of the oppressed. It provides migrant with values appropriate to the new world in which they found themselves.
-Protestant ethic role in helping its members succeed by encouraging self reliance.
-Rastafariansim represented a different response for Afro-Carribeans radically rejecting wider society as racist and exploitative.
What are the 5 reasons suggested by Bird for greater religiosity among minority ethnic groups?
-Bird argues the 5 reasons for religiosity among ethnic minorities are;
-Greater levels of religiosity in country of origin.
-Maintaining cultural identity and tradition.
-Religious socialisation: parents pass religion onto next generation.
-Members of religious groups providing sense of community and belonging(similar to cultural transition.)
-A way to deal with oppression (similar to cultural defence).
What three options are new immigrants faced with according to Chryssides?
-Apostasy;(abandon beliefs in order to fit in.)
-Accomodation(adapt beliefs in order to fit in).
-Renewed vigour(increased religiosity and observance in response to a hostile environment).
Are minorities more religious?
What might some question regarding the convincing statistical data which suggests this?(atheism?)(other functions?)
What does Bruce’s explanations suggest about religiosity?
What has high levels of Polish immigration led to an increase in?
-The statistical data is quite convincing; however, is it a social construction rather than a social fact? Levels of atheism may be disguised because they are seen as deviant. Also religious organisations perform other functions(e.g. a community hub) rather than purely spiritual.
-Bruce’s explanations- cultural transition and cultural defence suggests high levels of religiosity are not down to high levels of religious belief, but other social factors.
-High levels of Polish immigration in the 21st century have seen an increase in the congregation in local Roman Catholic churches.
