Key Findings on Religion and Teens
|
A. BELIEFS |
||
 |
God/Universal Spirit | |
| Believe in God | 87% | |
| "Don’t believe in God, but do believe in universal spirit/higher power" | 11% | |
| "A personal God who observes, rewards, and punishes" | 76% | |
| God loves them | 93% | |
| Have personally experienced the presence of God | 29% | |
| "Believe God gives strength to deal with problems, to call upon our god-given resources or inner strength" | 54% | |
| God or Jesus Christ or a higher power intervenes directly in lives | 26% | |
| "Their life belongs to God, rather than self, family, or community" | 49% | |
| There are other religions that offer a true path to God | 58% | |
|
Bible | |
| Believe the Bible is the literal word of God | 39% | |
|
Heaven/Hell/Judgment Day/Angels | |
| Believe in heaven | 91% | |
| Hell | 76% | |
| Life after death | 67% | |
| Angels | 76% | |
| "Judgment Day, when God judges whether you go to heaven or hell" | 81% | |
| "If you are a good person, you will go to heaven, whether or not you believe in God" | 48% | |
|
B. PRACTICES |
||
|
Prayer | |
| Have ever prayed to God | 87% | |
| Pray frequently or occasionally | 74% | |
|
Church Attendance | |
| Attend church in a typical week | 53% | |
| Almost never attend church | 23% | |
|
Bible Reading | |
| Read the Bible daily | 12% | |
| Read the Bible weekly or more often | 36% | |
|
TV/Radio | |
| Viewed religion program on television during a 30-day period | 24% | |
| Listened to religious programs on radio during a 30-day period | 20% | |
|
C. BELONGING |
||
|
Involvement in Youth Groups/Charitable Activities | |
| Have ever been a part of a church youth group or fellowship group | 87% | |
| Attend religious school or training | 74% | |
| Attended religious school when younger | 32% | |
| Active in a youth group at church | 36% | |
| Active in church-sponsored charitable activities | 20% | |
|
Membership in Church | |
| Member of church or synagogue | 64% | |
|
Religious Preference | |
| Protestant | 51% | |
| Catholic | 27% | |
| Something else | 22% | |
|
D. VIEWS ON RELIGION |
||
|
Organized Religion | |
| Have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in organized religion | 52% | |
| Religions have unnecessary rules and responsibilities | 44% | |
| There are a lot of things taught in your religion that you don’t really believe | 39% | |
| More likely to accept religious explanations of life | 57% | |
| More likely to accept scientific explanation of life | 37% | |
|
Religion and Society | |
| Believe religion is a very important part of the modern world | 25% | |
| Believe religion has a great deal of influence on the teenage population | 13% | |
| Give clergy an A or B grade for helping to meet spiritual needs | 63% | |
| Would like to talk more about religions with parents | 34% | |
| Favor voluntary prayer in public schools | 60% | |
| Now have time for prayer in school | 15% | |
|
Self-Descriptors | |
| Consider themselves to be religious persons | 69% | |
| Say religion is very important in their lives | 59% | |
| Believe it is very important to have a deep religious faith | 43% | |
| Religious faith is the most important influence in their life | 32% | |
| Describe beliefs as “religious” | 51% | |
| Describe beliefs as “spiritual but not religious” | 26% | |
| Describe themselves as born-again or evangelical Christians | 29% | |
| Consider themselves members of the “Religious Right” | 16% | |
| Rely more on self and others to make decisions | 61% | |
| Rely more on God | 38% | |
| Feel need to experience spiritual growth in daily life | 67% | |
Exerpted from Religion in America, 2002, Princeton Religion Research Center,
by Joe Iaquinta (emphasis mine).
Last update on
©IPHC Ministries. All rights reserved