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Posted September 2, 2009
Importance of Religion Increases with AgeTaken from the Pew ReportSurvey results released June 29 by the Pew Research Center indicate that religion matters more to older than younger adults. Two-thirds of people age 65 and older say religion is “very important” to them, compared with just over half of those ages 30 to 49 and only 44 percent of those ages 18 to 29. In addition, among adults age 65 and older, one-third say religion has grown more important to them over the course of their lives, while 4 percent say it has become less important, and 60 percent say it has stayed the same. Differences in attitudes among generations are not limited to the importance of religion. Almost eight in ten adults in the United States (79 percent) believe there is a major difference in the general points of view of today’s younger and older people. Perceptions of this gap are currently the widest since 1969, when Gallup estimated that 74 percent reported major generational differences in an era including conflicts over the Vietnam War and civil and women’s rights. |