Religion and Social Groups

How religious a person is (or says they are) is related to age, gender, ethnicity and social class.

                                 Religiosity and Religious Belief are different things 

1) Religious belief is believing that the world is controlled by supernatural forces (usually a god, or group of gods)

2) Religiosity is the level of an individual's connection to all aspects of religion - how religious the person is 

                                 Religiosity varies by Age

1) The 2011 census found that 22% of Christians in England and Wales were over 65. In contrast, just 3.9% of Muslims were over 65 (and 88% of them were under 50). This means Christianity has a far older age profile than Islam

2) People who said that they had no religion also tended to be younger - more than a third were under 25

3) Middle-aged groups are more likely to be populated with young adults

• Sects often appealed to young adults by mesages of friendship and companionship - this can be attractive to those who are experiencing forms of anomie (lack of social/moral standards) and detachment from the world, and those who have few responsibilities (e.g. marriage)
• Cults appeal to the inner thoughts and feelings of young adults who are often alienated from the primary cultures of society. Cults are attractive to individuals who are often already engaging in counterculture activity

                                  Religiosity varies by Gender

1) Women are more likely to attend church, and more likely to say they belong to a religion. This has often been explained by women's traditional role as primary caregiver. Going to church and raising children to be religious is traditionally seen as an extension of that role

2) Differential socialisation is also a factor. The argument goes that girls are socialised to be passive and to conform - which fits in with the behaviour of more traditional and conservative religious groups

3) Another argument is that women simply live longer. More women are on their own as they get older, and they may turn to religion for a sense of community. Older people are often more religious…