James J. Hughes Ph.D. Director, Institutional Research and Planning Public Policy Studies, Trinity College, Hartford CT

Is everyone in the population moving in a secular direction over time? Are there distinct differences in religiosity by generation, shaped by distinct experiences? Are people more secular when they are young and more religious when older? “Secular Trends,” Generations, & Life Stage

Our current class is the tail end of Millennials, the children of the Boomers Next up: Generation Z (New Silent), children of Gen X Who are the Millennials?

Millennial Ascendence

Religious affiliation Intensity of religiosity Importance of religion Attendance at services Prayer, meditation Beliefs (in God, etc.) Spiritual v. religious What is Religiosity?

Most of the decline however is a drift from white Protestant and Catholic churches to disaffiliation Most Millennials Still Christians

Nones and Non- Abrahamic religions have grown slowly since the 1970s Most Trinity Students Still Christians

Trinity students are distinctly more religious, in particular more Christian, than students at peer liberal arts colleges Trinity students’ religiosity more closely resembles that of elite universities and Ivies Most Trinity FYs are Christians

Millennials are less affiliated than previous generations at their age On the other hand, three quarters still profess a religious affiliation Declining Religious Affiliation

But Millennials more so All Age Groups Disaffiliating

Disaffiliation most common among: Liberals West and New England Men Unmarried White College-educated/affluent Affluent New England Disaffilation

Millennials also far more likely to be politically independent (albeit more liberal) Less likely to get married as young adults Decline in All Organizational Affiliations

A fifth of Millennials profess weekly attendance compared to more than half of seniors (65+) This will likely increase somewhat with marriage and child-bearing Declining Attendance

Sometimes Most Unaffiliated Still Attend

The decline is generational Increases somewhat over the life course Declining (or Increasing?) Intensity

Generational decline in importance of religion But increases across life course Likewise with Importance

Majority are Christian, but “spiritually” not “religiously” Spiritual, Not Religious

ARIS 2013: College students identified their worldview as 32% Religious 32% Spiritual 28% Secular Religious, Spiritual, Nones

Millennials pray and meditate less But prayer and “meditation” increase over the life course Decline (and Increase) in Prayer

God exists – I have no doubts Gen. Decline in Belief in God However a majority are still certain about God

Bible is the literal word of God Decline in Biblical Literalism

One True Way?: Nearly three-quarters of affiliated young adults (74%) say there is more than one true way to interpret the teachings of their faith, compared with 67% of affiliated adults ages 30 and older. Rising Ecumenism

On other beliefs there are few differences between the generations Adults under 30, for instance, are just as likely as older adults to believe in life after death (75% vs. 74%) heaven (74% each) hell (62% vs. 59%) miracles (78% vs. 79%). No Decline in Supernaturalism

More Politically Liberal, Less Ideological

Unaffiliated see Christianity as to moralistic, political and anti-gay Liberalism Drives Disaffiliation

Although on elite campuses they are “middle of the road” rather than conservative Christian Students Least Liberal From the Fall 2014 COFHE FY Student Survey

Among Millennials religious progressives outnumber conservatives Decline of Religious Conservatives

Slight evidence for secularization But mostly seniors still profess same religious preferences Change at Trinity