Religion and age

What did Brierly observe about the relationship between age and church attendance in 2015? (5)

Only 65 and up saw an increase

since the 80s, under 15 attendance has halved

By 2025, they predicted only 2.5% of regular attendees would be 15-19

Half of all english churches have no under 20s in attendance

87% of 10-14 y/os find church boring and so try to avoid going

What 2 theories do Voas and Crockett propose for the age difference in churchgoing?

1. THE AGEING EFFECT: as people get closer to death, they panic and try to repent via spirituality. This is supported by Heelas’ Kendal project

2. THE PERIOD/COHORT EFFECT: If you are from a generation that saw high church attendance (e.g. such as due to war according to Norris and Inglehart’s existential security theory) then you are more likely to retain that habit as you age. The reverse is also true, younger people who don’t grow up in church are less likely to join.

What did Arweck and Beckford find about modern primary socialising patterns?

Nowadays parents are less likely to push their children into religion

What did Herview-Léger find about churchgoing decline in Europe?

That it is due to cultural amnesia (i.e. lack of generational preservation)

How does postmodernist Collins-Mayo explain the lack of youth church attendance?

Increasing individualisation has lessened the social pressures around church attendance.

What 3 examples can be used to evaluate the idea that young people do not attend places of worship?

As of the 2011 census, 48% of Muslims were under 24

Samad points out that for young Pakistani and Bangladeshi children, being Muslim was more important to their identity than their nationality

During COVID, online access to the Christian church increased gen Z church attendance (although only by around 2%)