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Age and religious belief
      Younger people

                       According to census data

                    36% of people in the age group
                    between 18-34 in Britain define
                   themselves as atheist or agnostic




          Young people in Britain: Attitudes and experiences of
                            12-19 year olds

                 65% of young people are not religious
Most religious organisations are
   unattractive to young people
              because:
        • They find the services boring
                • Old-fashioned
              • Full of old people
• Out of-touch with the styles and attitudes of
                 younger people
 • Controversial opinions held by religions of
   topics such as abortion and women priests
    seem alien to the values of young people
Archbishop of Cantebury, George
             Carey
Saw the Church of England as
            like
                                ‘an elderly
                            lady, who mutters
                            away to herself in
                             a corner, ignored
                            most of the time.’



               If even the head of the Church of England saw it
               the way, then it is not surprising many young
               people find mainstream Christianity unattractive.
Expanding Spiritual Marketplace
   Lynch (2008) Suggests young people turning away from
conventional ideas of religion as there is now what Roof (2001)
         called and ‘expanded spiritual marketplace.

    Involves growing exposure and accessibility to a wide
     diversity of religious and spiritual ideas. These have
      opened up new avenues for exploring religion and
                           spirituality.

  Lynch suggests that these have meant there are now more
  sources for young people to draw on to build religious and
  spiritual beliefs, identities and lifestyles, and these may be
 finding expression outside traditional religions and religious
                           organisations.
Privatisation of belief- believing
              without belonging
     • Young people may chose to treat their
            beliefs as a private matter
• May hold some general beliefs
  but not feel that they belong to
  any particular religion, or hold
                                     • May prefer not to make public
  and specific religious belief
                                       displays of their
                                       beliefs, through involvement
                                       with organisations

    • Davie (1994) expressed this as
      ‘believing without belonging’
Secular spirituality and the sacred
• Lynch – although young people may be diverted from
  religion, they may also find religious feelings inspired in
 them by aspects of what are generally regarded as non-
                  religious or secular life.


            • Lynch – young people may not have
               lost all religiosity, but have found
                 new forms, many of which are
               associated with the more secular
                    and non-religious world
Declining religious education
  • Bruce – Church of England is increasingly able to recruit young
     people by socialising them into religious thinking at Sunday
                  schools or in religious education


Sunday schools are in decline
Christian Research says that a
century ago over half of all
children attended a Sunday
school, but by 2000 this had
reduced to 1 in 25 children.
If the current rate of decline
continues, there will be hardly any
Sunday schools left by 2016
Pragmatic Reasons
• Leisure has become a bigger part of life, and
       shops, clubs and pubs are open for
            longer, including Sundays
 • Young people have more demands on their
                       time
  • May have more interesting and enjoyable
                   things to do
     • Religion may sometimes be seen as
 ‘uncool’, which exerts social pressure not to be
                     religious
The generation effect
 • Each generation is becoming more secular than
                  the previous one
 • People now born into time where religion isn’t
   popular, so aren’t socialised into being religious

 Voas & Crockett – this is the main explanantion
 for generational differences and note that each
  generation is half as religious as their parents.

 They describe this as the ‘period effect’ where
people born in a particular time (cohort) are more
        likely to be religious than others.

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  • 1. Age and religious belief Younger people According to census data 36% of people in the age group between 18-34 in Britain define themselves as atheist or agnostic Young people in Britain: Attitudes and experiences of 12-19 year olds 65% of young people are not religious
  • 2. Most religious organisations are unattractive to young people because: • They find the services boring • Old-fashioned • Full of old people • Out of-touch with the styles and attitudes of younger people • Controversial opinions held by religions of topics such as abortion and women priests seem alien to the values of young people
  • 3. Archbishop of Cantebury, George Carey Saw the Church of England as like ‘an elderly lady, who mutters away to herself in a corner, ignored most of the time.’ If even the head of the Church of England saw it the way, then it is not surprising many young people find mainstream Christianity unattractive.
  • 4. Expanding Spiritual Marketplace Lynch (2008) Suggests young people turning away from conventional ideas of religion as there is now what Roof (2001) called and ‘expanded spiritual marketplace. Involves growing exposure and accessibility to a wide diversity of religious and spiritual ideas. These have opened up new avenues for exploring religion and spirituality. Lynch suggests that these have meant there are now more sources for young people to draw on to build religious and spiritual beliefs, identities and lifestyles, and these may be finding expression outside traditional religions and religious organisations.
  • 5. Privatisation of belief- believing without belonging • Young people may chose to treat their beliefs as a private matter • May hold some general beliefs but not feel that they belong to any particular religion, or hold • May prefer not to make public and specific religious belief displays of their beliefs, through involvement with organisations • Davie (1994) expressed this as ‘believing without belonging’
  • 6. Secular spirituality and the sacred • Lynch – although young people may be diverted from religion, they may also find religious feelings inspired in them by aspects of what are generally regarded as non- religious or secular life. • Lynch – young people may not have lost all religiosity, but have found new forms, many of which are associated with the more secular and non-religious world
  • 7. Declining religious education • Bruce – Church of England is increasingly able to recruit young people by socialising them into religious thinking at Sunday schools or in religious education Sunday schools are in decline Christian Research says that a century ago over half of all children attended a Sunday school, but by 2000 this had reduced to 1 in 25 children. If the current rate of decline continues, there will be hardly any Sunday schools left by 2016
  • 8. Pragmatic Reasons • Leisure has become a bigger part of life, and shops, clubs and pubs are open for longer, including Sundays • Young people have more demands on their time • May have more interesting and enjoyable things to do • Religion may sometimes be seen as ‘uncool’, which exerts social pressure not to be religious
  • 9. The generation effect • Each generation is becoming more secular than the previous one • People now born into time where religion isn’t popular, so aren’t socialised into being religious Voas & Crockett – this is the main explanantion for generational differences and note that each generation is half as religious as their parents. They describe this as the ‘period effect’ where people born in a particular time (cohort) are more likely to be religious than others.