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Remarking upon a recent North American analysis of religious affiliation among college graduates:
"The core finding is that the association between graduating from college and religious disaffiliation has changed drastically across generations," said Philip Schwadel, the study's author and a professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. For people who were born in the 1920s and '30s, the godless-college-grad stereotype is somewhat true: They were twice as likely as their uneducated peers to be religionless, not identifying with a particular church or synagogue or other religious institution.
But over time, that trend changed. "For those people who were born in the 1960s, there’s really no difference between the college-educated and the non-college-educated in terms of their likelihood of disaffiliating from religion," Schwadel said. "And for those born in the 1970s, it’s actually the non-college-educated who are relatively likely to disaffiliate."
Simply put, college education, for those born after 1970, is likely to make one more religious than those without college degrees, whereas for older generations the effect is reversed.
What do you think of these findings and their implications?
Simply put, college education, for those born after 1970, is likely to make one more religious than those without college degrees, whereas for older generations the effect is reversed.
What do you think of these findings and their implications?
From the article:
Quote:
The reason for this may be that atheism, agnosticism, and general religious indifference has become more normal across social classes, Schwadel said. "For those people who were born earlier than the 1900s, it might have been something that wasn’t acceptable among a lot of Americans, except those who were among the upper classes—those select few who were going to college and graduating in the 1910s, ‘20s, and ‘30s. But as college education has grown, having no religious affiliation has become less ostracizing."
So, clearly, it is not that college students are any less irreligious than in previous generations, but that non-college students are more irrelegious than previously to the point where there is no longer any statistical difference between college graduates and non-college graduates when it comes to irreligiosity.
Of course, I no longer live under the illusion that headline-writers strive to represent what is in the article, as opposed to merely trying to sell copies or generate page-views.
So, clearly, it is not that college students are any less irreligious than in previous generations, but that non-college students are more irrelegious than previously to the point where there is no longer any statistical difference between college graduates and non-college graduates when it comes to irreligiosity.
Of course, I no longer live under the illusion that headline-writers strive to represent what is in the article, as opposed to merely trying to sell copies or generate page-views.
That doesn't explain why college attendance exerts a net desecularizing effect compared to the non-college attending population for the post-1970 birth cohorts. It can only explain part of the findings up until parity, and even then it's conveyed as speculation.
As for whether the article writers have misrepresented the study, the following is from the discussion in the paper:
Among Americans born in the 1970s, college education has a negative effect on non-affiliation. This finding supports the second hypothesis, as well as propositions regarding religious deinstitutionalization among the less educated (Wilcox et al. 2012). The religious deinstitutionalization of the non-college-educated is further supported by models that incorporate religious attendance into the measure of non-affiliation. In younger cohorts, a large minority of Americans report either not attending services or no religious affiliation (see table 1), and in those same cohorts, the non-college-educated are particularly likely to report either no attendance or no affiliation.
At the more extreme end of religious deinstitutionalization, both having no affiliation and not attending services is relatively rare. Still, for those born between 1965 and 1979, the non-college-educated are disproportionately likely to report both no affiliation and no service attendance. These results extend Wilcox et al.’s (2012) analysis of service attendance by demonstrating that the religious deinstitutionalization of non-college-educated Americans involves both affiliation and service attendance, and it occurs across birth cohorts.
I think they've done a reasonable job in conveying both the primary findings and discussion.
Last edited by MarineBlue; 03-21-2015 at 11:55 AM..
The sniffy scenario of a a lot of atheist professors preaching 'There is No God' to the students betrays an evidence bias.
That does not mean that i am going to reject the figures. But is isn't clear what is causing the turn of the college -educated intelligensia to God. Perhaps somebody can explain. It looked to me on a couple of reading as though some talk of post 70's being joiners or marrying each other or even lying (for some reason) about going to church. This is proposed (not too persuasively) as reasons why post 70 graduates are turning to religion. The final rather denialist assertion that the atheist professors are failing to create their 'atheist armies' seems to be hope than charity.
In any case, it only reaffirms that whatever religious apologetics have been fed the post 70 graduates to make themm into God -believers - and I can remember how atheism had no voice and fundamentalism not to say creationism had the field pretty much to themselves then - it is urgently needful that we show the apologetics of belief do not stack up and the educated will (if they value fact over faith) join the ranks of the rush to irreligion.
Last edited by TRANSPONDER; 03-21-2015 at 11:31 AM..
This is proposed (not too persuasively) as reasons why post 70 graduates are turning to religion. The final rather denialist assertion that the atheist professors are failing to create their 'atheist armies' seems to be hope than charity.
This is kind of a diversion from the topic, but many Christians I know actually seem to be encouraged by the rise in Atheism.
The "great falling away" is one several pre-conditions that need to be met, along with other criteria such as Jews being back in the Holy Land, before the eschatological period gets going and eventual redemption.
Yes; I have seen comments that some kind of falling away is all part of prophecy. Since I don't buy prophecy I am not bothered by what they think about us. I only get worried when they look with pleasure at the stuff going on in the middle east and want to encourage to whole thing to explode into a world war, because they think it is prophecy.
I am willing to wait for as long as it takes for humanity to grow out the age of myth, except I sometimes fear that we may not have as long as it will take.
Remarking upon a recent North American analysis of religious affiliation among college graduates:
"The core finding is that the association between graduating from college and religious disaffiliation has changed drastically across generations," said Philip Schwadel, the study's author and a professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. For people who were born in the 1920s and '30s, the godless-college-grad stereotype is somewhat true: They were twice as likely as their uneducated peers to be religionless, not identifying with a particular church or synagogue or other religious institution.
But over time, that trend changed. "For those people who were born in the 1960s, there’s really no difference between the college-educated and the non-college-educated in terms of their likelihood of disaffiliating from religion," Schwadel said. "And for those born in the 1970s, it’s actually the non-college-educated who are relatively likely to disaffiliate."
Simply put, college education, for those born after 1970, is likely to make one more religious than those without college degrees, whereas for older generations the effect is reversed.
What do you think of these findings and their implications?
Just to note, this should say for those born in the 1970's. The study didn't include anyone born after 1979, so there is no information on those born after 1979.
Location: In a little house on the prairie - literally
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Originally Posted by DC at the Ridge
Just to note, this should say for those born in the 1970's. The study didn't include anyone born after 1979, so there is no information on those born after 1979.
Well here is one. It was released this week.
It shows that teens are leaving religion in droves.
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