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