Religious Affiliation and Engagement is Higher for Older Adults versus Younger Adults in the United States

According to the November 2019 American Perspectives Survey performed by The American Enterprise Institute, most Americans today continue to be raised in a religious denomination or tradition. Only 12% of Americans reported being raised outside a formal religious tradition.

However, there are significant differences in the religious upbringing of Americans across generations. Young adults (age 18 to 29) were far more likely to have been raised without religion than were seniors (age 65 or older). Roughly one in five (22%) young adults reported they were not raised in any particular religion, compared with only 3% of seniors.

Younger Americans have had less robust religious experiences during their childhood than previous generations. Fewer than one in three (29%) young adults said they attended religious services with their families at least weekly when they were growing up. More than half (52%) of seniors said the same. About one-third (32%) of young adults claimed they never attended religious services during their formative years. Young adults also reported lower rates of attending Sunday school or other religious education programs as children. Only 27% of young adults said they attended Sunday school at least weekly. Among seniors, more than half (55%) stated they attended Sunday school or a similar type of religious program during their childhood.

The shifting religious landscape is also affecting the role religion plays in important life moments. For older married Americans, a religious wedding – officiated by a religious leader and held in a religious venue such as a church – was the most common type of ceremony. Six in 10 (60%) married Americans age 65 or older reported they were married by a religious leader in a church or religious setting. Another 13% said they were married by a religious official in a nonreligious setting. Roughly one-quarter (27%) stated their wedding celebration was officiated by a justice of the peace, friend, or family member in a nonreligious location.

Young married Americans (age 18 to 34) are increasingly opting for secular venues and ceremonies. Only 36% of younger married Americans claimed their ceremony was officiated by a religious figure and held in a religious location such as a church or worship center. Sixteen percent reported they were married by a religious leader in a nonreligious setting, while nearly half (48%) said being married by a different type of officiant in a secular venue.

Most Americans stated that raising children in a religion is important for providing moral guidance and instilling proper values. Roughly twothirds (65%) of the public agreed that raising children in a religion is important so they can learn good values. Only about one-third (35%) disagreed. However, there are considerable differences of opinion by age. Fewer than half (48%) of young adults agreed that raising children in a religious community is important to provide a moral foundation. A majority (53%) of young adults said this is not the case. In contrast, more than three quarters (76%) of seniors claimed bringing children up in religion is crucial to instill good values.

The Pew Research Center has reviewed many studies that suggest different but possibly overlapping explanations for the age gap in religion. One theory is that people naturally become more religious as they age and approach their own mortality. Another is that societies become less religious as economic conditions improve and people face fewer anxiety-inducing or life-threatening problems. Since young people in steadily developing societies generally have easier lives than their elders, this theory goes, they are less religious.

Promoting Senior Wellness is provided by The Hickman Friends Senior Community of West Chester. A Quaker Personal Care Home in West Chester. This column was written by Hugh Bleemer, Outreach and Admissions Counselor. www. thehickman.org.

Sixteen percent reported they were married by a religious leader in a nonreligious setting, while nearly half (48%) said being married by a different type of officiant in a secular venue.