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)

Post-
Agrarian Industrial
Industrial

Church
44% 25% 20%
Attendance
Religious
64% 34% 20%
Values
Prayer
52% 34% 26%
Practice
CORRELATIONS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND
COMMUNICATIONS AND RELIGIOUS PARTICIPATION
(WORLDWIDE)

CORRELATION WITH
EDUCATION AND
RELIGIOUS
COMMUNICATIONS
PARTICIPATION

Adult Illiteracy ( + ) POSITIVE

Education (--) NEGATIVE

Access to Mass Communication (--) NEGATIVE

CORRELATIONS BETWEEN HEALTHCARE AND RELIGIOUS
PARTICIPATION (WORLDWIDE)

CORRELATION WITH
HEALTHCARE 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)

CORRELATION WITH
DEMOGRAPHICS RELIGIOUS
PARTICIPATION

Population Growth ( + ) POSITIVE

(--) NEGATIVE
Life Expectancy at Birth

( + ) POSITIVE
% of Population 14 and under

(--) NEGATIVE
% of Population 65 and over
CORRELATIONS BETWEEN SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
AND RELIGIOUS PARTICIPATION (WORLDWIDE)

CORRELATION WITH
SOCIOECONOMIC
RELIGIOUS
DEVELOPMENT
PARTICIPATION
Overall Human Development
(--) NEGATIVE
Index
Income Inequality ( + ) POSITIVE
Per Capita Gross Domestic
(--) NEGATIVE
Product
Urban Population (--) NEGATIVE

Rural Population ( + ) POSITIVE

PARTICIPATION TRENDS IN RELIGION
OUTSIDE THE U.S.
(by % of adult population)

100
90
80
70
60 1970
50
40 1998
30
20
10
0

Italy
France Britain
Ireland
Belgium Germany
Netherlands
PARTICIPATION TRENDS IN RELIGION IN THE U.S.
(by % of adult population)

35
30
25
20 Attend Weekly
or More
15 Never Attend
10
5
0
1972 2002
FUTURE TREND SHOWN IN CORRELATIONS
BETWEEN AGE AND RELIGIOUS IDENTIFICATION (U.S.)

100
87.5
80 75

60

40 affiliated
25 unaffiliated
20
12.5
0
18-29
30 & Over
FUTURE TREND SHOWN IN CORRELATIONS
BETWEEN AGE AND RELIGIOUS PARTICIPATION (U.S.)

PARTICIPATION
LOW HIGH
FACTOR

Importance of
18-29 65+
Religious Beliefs

Attendance at
18-29 65+
Worship Services

18-29 Prayer Practice 65+

FUTURE TRENDS SHOWN IN CORRELATIONS
BETWEEN AGE AND RELIGIOUS PARTICIPATION
(WORLDWIDE)

AGRARIAN INDUSTRIAL POST

INDUSTRIAL

< 30 49 22 15

30-59 47 23 21

60 + 47 29 35
CORRELATIONS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND
COMMUNICATIONS AND RELIGIOUS PARTICIPATION
(WORLDWIDE)

CORRELATION WITH
EDUCATION AND
RELIGIOUS
COMMUNICATIONS
PARTICIPATION

Adult Illiteracy ( + ) POSITIVE

Education (--) NEGATIVE

Access to Mass Communication (--) NEGATIVE

PARTICIPATION LEVELS IN
SELECTED RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS (U.S.)

LOW PARTICIPATION FACTOR HIGH

Importance of Religious Beliefs

Relevance of Religion to Evangelical

Mainline Protestant Right and Wrong
Historically Black
Jewish Attendance at Worship Services
Churches
Buddhist Prayer/Meditation Practice
Mormon
Unaffiliated Church Activities Outside Worship
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Membership as a % of Those Who
Identify with a Religious Tradition
PARTICIPATION LEVELS IN
SELECTED RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS (U.S.)

PARTICIPATION
LOW HIGH
FACTOR
Historically Black
Jewish (55%)
Churches (83%)

Buddhist (30%) Membership as a Mormon (92%)

Percentage of those
who Identify with a Jehovah’s
Unaffiliated (22%)
Religious Tradition. Witnesses (76%)

Unitarian
Evangelist (74%)
Universalist (35%)
CORRELATION OF INCOME AND EDUCATION WITH
SELECTED RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS (U.S.)

LOW HIGH

Evangelical Mainline Protestant

Historically Black Jewish

INCOME
Churches
Buddhist
Mormon
EDUCATION Unitarian Universalist
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Unaffiliated (atheist
& agnostic only)
RISE IN THINKING ABOUT
“THE MEANING OF LIFE”

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Italy U.S.
Mexico Japan Spain
Britain
S.Africa S.Korea Canada Sweden Findland
Denmark
Argentina
W.Germany 1981
2001
PARTICIPATION LEVELS IN
SELECTED RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS (U.S.)

LOW PARTICIPATION FACTOR HIGH

Importance of Religious Beliefs

Relevance of Religion to
Right and Wrong Evangelical
Mainline Protestant
Attendance at Worship Services Historically Black
Jewish
Churches
Prayer/Meditation Practice
Buddhist
Mormon
Church Activities Outside Worship
Unaffiliated
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Membership as a % of Those Who
Identify with a Religious Tradition
PARTICIPATION LEVELS IN
SELECTED RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS (U.S.)

PARTICIPATION
LOW HIGH
FACTOR
Historically Black
Jewish (55%)
Churches (83%)

Buddhist (30%) Membership as a Mormon (92%)

Percentage of those
who Identify with a Jehovah’s
Unaffiliated (22%)
Religious Tradition Witnesses (76%)

Unitarian
Evangelist (74%)
Universalist (35%)
SPIRITUAL BELIEF IN
SELECTED RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS (U.S.)

SPIRITUAL
LOW HIGH
BELIEF FACTOR
Mainline Historically Black
Protestant (94%) Churches (97%)
Jewish (72%) Mormon (98%)
Belief in God
or Jehovah’s
Buddhist (67%) Universal Spirit Witnesses (97%)

Unaffiliated (60%) Evangelist (98%)

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