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| Question | Answer |
| The facts | People tend to develop a greater attachment to religion as they grow older. Belief in God is lowest in those under 34 and highest in those over 55. The British Social Attitudes Study shows that more than half of young people do not regard themselves as religious at all. |
| Older People and religion | The attachment of older people to religion is often explained by three factors: Disengagement Religious Socialisation Ill Health and death |
| Older people(Disengagement) | As people get older, they become detached from the integrating mechanisms of society, such as participation in workplaces. They may feel their lives becoming more private and increasing social isolation as friends and family die. Churches etc provide a form of support and a network of people. |
| Older People(Religious Socialisation) | Older people are more likely to have had a greater emphasis placed on religion through the education system and in the family when they were younger. |
| Older People(Ill Health and death) | Older people tend to be faced with thoughts of death and the afterlife. Religion may give them comfort and hope, to help them cope with what lies ahead. |
| Younger people are religion | There are many explanations as to why young people are less religious including: the declining attraction of religion The privatisation of belief Pragmatic reasons |
| Younger People(The declining attraction) | Traditional religious organisations are unattractive to young people. who find them boring, repetitive and old fashioned. Controversies in religion over topics such as abortion and gay marriage may seem old fashioned and alien to the values they hold |
| Younger People (The privatisation of religion) | It may not be that young people are less religious, but rather that they do not feel the need to attend a service to express their belief, or may not identify with one sole religious organisation. Davie calls this 'believing without belonging' |
| Younger People (Pragmatic reasons) | Young people nowadays may have more demands on their time, such as part time work or social outings which are likely to take place on weekends, leaving their Sundays unavailable for church worship. Young people many simply feel that they have more enjoyable thins to do with their time. |
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