Our Place In the World of Religion—Session II Williamsburg Unitarian Universalists: Adult Lifespan Faith Development “Our Place in the World of Religion” (2008)
Dec 01, 2014
Our Place In the World of Religion—Session II
Williamsburg Unitarian Universalists: Adult Lifespan Faith Development
“Our Place in the World of Religion” (2008)
PARTICIPATION LEVELS IN RELIGION (WORLDWIDE)(by developmental classification of societies)
Agrarian Industrial Post-
Industrial
Church Attendance
44% 25% 20%
Religious Values
64% 34% 20%
Prayer Practice
52% 34% 26%
CORRELATIONS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATIONS AND RELIGIOUS PARTICIPATION (WORLDWIDE)
EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
CORRELATION WITHRELIGIOUS
PARTICIPATION
Adult Illiteracy ( + ) POSITIVE
Education (--) NEGATIVE
Access to Mass Communication (--) NEGATIVE
CORRELATIONS BETWEEN HEALTHCARE AND RELIGIOUS PARTICIPATION (WORLDWIDE)
HEALTHCARECORRELATION WITH
RELIGIOUS PARTICIPATION
AIDS Cases ( + ) POSITIVE
Infant Mortality Rates ( + ) POSITIVE
Child Mortality Rates ( + ) POSITIVE
Access to Improved Water (--) NEGATIVE
Access to Doctors (--) NEGATIVE
CORRELATIONS BETWEEN DEMOGRAPHICS AND RELIGIOUS PARTICIPATION (WORLDWIDE)
DEMOGRAPHICSCORRELATION WITH
RELIGIOUS PARTICIPATION
Population Growth ( + ) POSITIVE
Life Expectancy at Birth(--) NEGATIVE
% of Population 14 and under( + ) POSITIVE
% of Population 65 and over(--) NEGATIVE
CORRELATIONS BETWEEN SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND RELIGIOUS PARTICIPATION (WORLDWIDE)
SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
CORRELATION WITHRELIGIOUS
PARTICIPATION
Overall Human Development Index
(--) NEGATIVE
Income Inequality ( + ) POSITIVE
Per Capita Gross Domestic Product
(--) NEGATIVE
Urban Population (--) NEGATIVE
Rural Population ( + ) POSITIVE
PARTICIPATION TRENDS IN RELIGION OUTSIDE THE U.S.(by % of adult population)
0102030405060708090
100
France BelgiumNetherlands
Germany
ItalyIrelandBritain
1970
1998
PARTICIPATION TRENDS IN RELIGION IN THE U.S.(by % of adult population)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
1972 2002
Attend Weeklyor More
Never Attend
FUTURE TREND SHOWN IN CORRELATIONS BETWEEN AGE AND RELIGIOUS IDENTIFICATION (U.S.)
18-2930 & Over
75
25
87.5
12.50
20
40
60
80
100
affiliated
unaffiliated
LOWPARTICIPATION
FACTORHIGH
18-29 Importance of
Religious Beliefs65+
18-29Attendance at
Worship Services65+
18-29 Prayer Practice 65+
FUTURE TREND SHOWN IN CORRELATIONS BETWEEN AGE AND RELIGIOUS PARTICIPATION (U.S.)
AGRARIAN
INDUSTRIAL
POST INDUSTRIAL
< 30 49 22 15
30-59 47 23 21
60 + 47 29 35
FUTURE TRENDS SHOWN IN CORRELATIONS BETWEEN AGE AND RELIGIOUS PARTICIPATION (WORLDWIDE)
CORRELATIONS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATIONS AND RELIGIOUS PARTICIPATION (WORLDWIDE)
EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
CORRELATION WITHRELIGIOUS
PARTICIPATION
Adult Illiteracy ( + ) POSITIVE
Education (--) NEGATIVE
Access to Mass Communication (--) NEGATIVE
PARTICIPATION LEVELS IN SELECTED RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS (U.S.)
LOW PARTICIPATION FACTOR HIGH
Mainline Protestant
Jewish
Buddhist
Unaffiliated
Importance of Religious Beliefs
Evangelical
Historically Black Churches
Mormon
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Relevance of Religion to Right and Wrong
Attendance at Worship Services
Prayer/Meditation Practice
Church Activities Outside Worship
Membership as a % of Those Who Identify with a Religious Tradition
LOWPARTICIPATION
FACTORHIGH
Jewish (55%)
Membership as a Percentage of those who Identify with a Religious Tradition.
Historically Black Churches (83%)
Buddhist (30%) Mormon (92%)
Unaffiliated (22%)Jehovah’s
Witnesses (76%)
Unitarian Universalist (35%)
Evangelist (74%)
PARTICIPATION LEVELS IN SELECTED RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS (U.S.)
CORRELATION OF INCOME AND EDUCATION WITH SELECTED RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS (U.S.)
LOW HIGH
Evangelical
Historically Black Churches
Mormon
Jehovah’s Witnesses
INCOME
EDUCATION
Mainline Protestant
Jewish
Buddhist
Unitarian Universalist
Unaffiliated (atheist & agnostic only)
RISE IN THINKING ABOUT “THE MEANING OF LIFE”
010203040506070
S.AfricaItaly
S.KoreaU.S.
ArgentinaCanadaMexicoSwedenDenmarkFindland
Japan
W.Germany
SpainBritain
1981
2001
PARTICIPATION LEVELS IN SELECTED RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS (U.S.)
LOW PARTICIPATION FACTOR HIGH
Mainline Protestant
Jewish
Buddhist
Unaffiliated
Importance of Religious Beliefs
Evangelical
Historically Black Churches
Mormon
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Relevance of Religion to Right and Wrong
Attendance at Worship Services
Prayer/Meditation Practice
Church Activities Outside Worship
Membership as a % of Those Who Identify with a Religious Tradition
LOWPARTICIPATION
FACTORHIGH
Jewish (55%)
Membership as a Percentage of those who Identify with a Religious Tradition
Historically Black Churches (83%)
Buddhist (30%) Mormon (92%)
Unaffiliated (22%)Jehovah’s
Witnesses (76%)
Unitarian Universalist (35%)
Evangelist (74%)
PARTICIPATION LEVELS IN SELECTED RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS (U.S.)
LOWSPIRITUAL
BELIEF FACTORHIGH
Mainline Protestant (94%)
Belief in God or
Universal Spirit
Historically Black Churches (97%)
Jewish (72%) Mormon (98%)
Buddhist (67%)Jehovah’s
Witnesses (97%)
Unaffiliated (60%) Evangelist (98%)
SPIRITUAL BELIEF IN SELECTED RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS (U.S.)
Sources
Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart, Sacred and Secular (Cambridge University Press 2004).
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, U.S. Religious Landscape Survey (2007-2008).
Learn More
Williamsburg Unitarian Universalists
http://www.wuu.org