1. T.L. Brink Crafton Hills College Yucaipa CA 92399 tlbrink@
craftonhills.edu

2. a Retrospective and Prospective Self-Report
Religiosity:
a Retrospective and Prospective Self-Report

3. Religiosity: retrospective & prospective

4. https://goo.gl/csWGZq

5. Not about which religious tradition one adheres to …
Religiosity
Not about which religious tradition one adheres to …

6. Religiosity

7. About how religious one is.
Religiosity
About how religious one is.

8. Religiosity

10. Religiosity: countries

11. one item measures of religiosity are commonly employed
Norenzayan & Hansen (2006)
one item measures of religiosity are commonly employed

12. How important would you say religion is in your own life?
Religiosity (Gallup, 2013)
How important would you say religion is in your own life?

13. Religiosity norms (Gallup, 2013)
Very 55%
Fairly 26%
Not very 19%

14. Religiosity
Gallup Norms
This sample

15. Religiosity

16. Norris & Inglehart (2004)
Religiosity is decreasing because modern society provides more “existential security”

17. “the worldwide secular trend is irreversible”
Bruce (2011)
“the worldwide secular trend is irreversible”

18. Ecklund (2010)
Under-represented in the ranks of scientists: Catholics Evangelical Protestants Black Protestants

19. Ecklund (2010)
Over-represented in the ranks of scientists: Atheists & Agnostics Jews & Liberal Protestants

20. Is there a decline in religiosity within the millennial cohort?
Question #1
Is there a decline in religiosity within the millennial cohort?

21. Question #2
If so, is this a historical trend or merely a phase for this cohort’s young adulthood?

22. METHOD

23. Two in Southern California
Four studies
Over last 18 months
Two in Southern California
(March & October 2014)
Two in Mexico
(June 2015)

24. First two studies at this site
Crafton Hills College

25. “Inland Empire”
Between Los Angeles & Palm Springs

26. “Inland Empire” San Bernardino & Riverside Counties
Between Los Angeles & Palm Springs
San Bernardino & Riverside Counties

27. Population Riverside 300k San Bernardino 210k Redlands 70k
Highland k
Yucaipa k
Beaumont k
Banning k

28. Population Riverside 300k minor San Bernardino 210k minor
Redlands k major
Highland k major
Yucaipa k major
Beaumont k minor
Banning k minor

29. Household Income Redlands $58k Riverside $42k Highland $41k
Beaumont $40k
Yucaipa $39k
Banning $32k
San Bernardino $20k

30. Adults with BA degrees California 30% Redlands 38% Riverside 20%
San Bernardino 11%

31. Based on enrollment data from Fall 2011
Population
Based on enrollment data from Fall 2011

32. Between 5,500 and 6,500 over past five years
Enrollment
Between 5,500 and 6,500 over past five years

33. Enrollment Full-Time = 12+ units 37.3% Part-Time = under 12 units
62.7%

34. Gender
Male 49%
Female 51%

35. Age
Under %
20 – %
25 – %
30 – %
35 – %
40 – %
50 or older %
Unknown %

36. Median and Modal category of 20-24
Age
Median and Modal category of

37. Ethnicity Asian 5% African Am 6.3% Hispanic 34.8% Native Am 0.6%
Caucasian %
Unknown %

38. Transfer to U.C. Riverside Cal State S.B. U of Redlands Loma Linda U
Cal Baptist U

39. Career & Technical Fire Science Paramedic Respiratory Radiography
Child Dev

40. Represented + Seventh-day Adventist + Latter Day Saint
+ Roman Catholic
+ Evangelical Christian

41. Under-Represented
Jehovah’s Witness
Jewish
Muslim
Buddhist

42. Under-Represented
Hindu
Jain
Sikh
Zoroastrian

43. sample CHC #1
N = 107

44. sample CHC #1
N = 107
Males = 42%

45. sample CHC #1
78%
under age 25

46. Op def CHC #1
Over the past five years, has your level of religion (spirituality) declined, increased or remained the same?

47. Op def CHC #1
Over the next ten years, will your level of religion (spirituality) declined, increased or remained the same?

48. RESULTS

49. RESULTS #1
Increasing = 51%
Stable = 38%
Decreasing = 10%

50. RESULTS #1

51. RESULTS #1
P < .001
Kolmogorov- Smirnov

52. sample CHC #2
N = 73

53. sample CHC #2
N = 73
Males = 42%

54. sample CHC #2
majority
under age 20

55. sample CHC #2
SDA = 5%
Catholic = 11%
Christian = 44%

56. sample CHC #2
Other Rel = 14%
None = 36%

57. Op def CHC #2
On a scale of
0 to 10,
how religious

58. Op def CHC #2
On a scale of
0 to 10,
how spiritual

59. Op def CHC #2
Are you now?
Were you at 14?
Will you be
in ten years?

60. RESULTS

61. RESULTS #2
Correlation
Rel now &
Rel future
+.93

62. RESULTS #2
Age 14 = 5.6
Present = 4.9
Future = 5.9

63. RESULTS #2

64. RESULTS #2
P < .001
Friedman

65. RISE

66. DIP

67. FALL

68. FLAT 14%

69. FLAT FLOOR 4%

70. FLAT CEILING 10%

71. PEAK 1%

72. RESULTS #2
Rise 37%
Dip 25%
Fall 23%
Flat 14%
Peak 1%

73. RESULTS #2

74. Next two studies at Mexican sites
Gerontology Conference & Private University

75. UCSJ

76. UCSJ

77. UCSJ

78. UCSJ
Fundado 1979

79. UCSJ
Alumnos
1,582

80. CIIVE

81. CIIVE / UNAM

82. CIIVE

83. Sample size
UCSJ
N = 58
CIIVE
N = 22

84. Percent male
CIIVE
22%
UCSJ
34%

85. Median Age
UCSJ 21
CIIVE 23

86. Mitofsky December 2014

88. Religioso
National norm
7.1

89. Religioso
National norm
7.1
Vs. 7.8 (2001)

90. RESULTS

91. Correlations
Rel now &
Rel future
+.89

92. Rel UCSJ now
3.0 2
Mean
Median
Mode

93. Rel UCSJ future
3.6 2
Mean
Median
Mode

94. Rel CIIVE now
6.1 8
Mean
Median
Mode

95. Rel CIIVE future
6.5 8 10
Mean
Median
Mode

96. RESULTS 7.1 3.0 3.6 6.1 6.5 Rel Variable Mitofsky UCSJ now UCSJ future
CIIVE now
CIIVE future
Rel
7.1
3.0
3.6
6.1
6.5

97. UCSJ vs. CIIVE

98. Significant Difference?
between present & future?

99. UCSJ Religiosity
Present vs. Future
p < .05

100. CIIVE Religiosity
Present vs. Future
p > .10

101. Significant Difference?
between groups?

102. Present Religiosity
UCSJ vs. CIIVE
p < .001

103. Present Religiosity
UCSJ vs. CIIVE
Cohen’s d = -1.17
Hedge’s g = -1.33

104. Future Religiosity
UCSJ vs. CIIVE
p < .001

105. Future Religiosity
UCSJ vs. CIIVE
Cohen’s d = -1.07
Hedge’s g = -1.18

106. DISCUSSION

107. Conclusions
Millennials (especially at UCSJ) have lower levels of religiosity than national norms

108. Conclusions
Millennials predict that their levels of religiosity will rise in the future

109. Explanation
These findings must be explained in the personal and social functions of religion.

110. Riesebrodt (2010)
"a complex of practices that are based on the premise of the existence of superhuman powers …

111. Riesebrodt (2010)
"a complex of practices that are based on the premise of the existence of superhuman powers, whether personal or impersonal, that are generally invisible"

112. Riesebrodt (2010)
"all religions claim to have the ability to avert misfortune, overcome crises, and provide salvation." (p. 89)

113. “DERMS” definition
of Carmody & Brink (2013)

114. Religion is a system of doctrines ethics rituals myths symbols
for the expression of ultimate relevance

115. Carmody & Brink (2013)
“Perhaps it is more appropriate to view religion as a series of choices that individuals and communities make …”

116. Which doctrines to accept?
Carmody & Brink (2013)
Which doctrines to accept?

117. Which ethics to follow? Carmody & Brink (2013)
Which doctrines to accept?
Which ethics to follow?

118. Which rituals to practice?
Carmody & Brink (2013)
Which doctrines to accept?
Which ethics to follow?
Which rituals to practice?

119. Which myths to retell? Carmody & Brink (2013) Which ethics to follow?
Which doctrines to accept?
Which ethics to follow?
Which rituals to practice?
Which myths to retell?

120. Carmody & Brink (2013) Which myths to retell? Which ethics to follow?
Which doctrines to accept?
Which ethics to follow?
Which rituals to practice?
Which myths to retell?
Which symbols to revere?

121. Carmody & Brink (2013) Which symbols to revere?
Which doctrines to accept?
Which ethics to follow?
Which rituals to practice?
Which myths to retell?
Which symbols to revere?
Which persons will lead us?

122. Carmody & Brink (2013)
“The behavioral components of religion (ritual, ethics) are more important than doctrine.”

123. Carmody & Brink (2013)
“Although it is doctrine that gives us the cognitive reframing that enables religion to bring new understanding of ourselves and our conditions …”

124. Carmody & Brink (2013)
“it is the dozens of daily inspired acts of self-restraint (ethics) and communal celebration (ritual) that enable people to grow in their commitments.”

125. “Religion is more action than thought …”
Carmody & Brink (2013)
“Religion is more action than thought …”

126. Carmody & Brink (2013)
“Religion is more action than thought, more process than product” p. 386

127. Ecklund (2010)
A quarter of scientists who identified themselves as atheists or agnostics nevertheless identified themselves as spiritual.

128. Longitudinal study of religiosity over the life cycle
Dillon & Wink (2009)
Longitudinal study of religiosity over the life cycle

129. Ellison & Burdette (2012)
A sense of control is positively correlated with most aspects of religion (e.g., attendance, afterlife)

130. Ellison & Burdette (2012)
A sense of control is positively correlated with most aspects of religion (e.g., attendance, afterlife) but other aspects are negatively correlated (e.g., sin, literalism)

131. Gebauer, Sedikides & Neberich (2012)
Religiosity has psychological benefits, but only in those societies where religiosity is seen as a virtue.

132. The epidemic of depression is due to loss of reliance on religion.
Brink (1993)
The epidemic of depression is due to loss of reliance on religion.

133. Ancient Christian Wisdom and Aaron Beck's Cognitive Therapy
Trader (2011)
Ancient Christian Wisdom
and Aaron Beck's Cognitive Therapy

134. Future Research
Larger sample
Instructions
Sites
Other variables

135. Future Research
Religious studies must use qualitative (e.g., focus groups, ethnographies) in addition to, rather than instead of, quantitative methods (Brink, 1995)

136. Future Research
The next cycle of research should utilize qualitative methods (e.g., participant observation, focus groups) to figure out the relationships between religious components and the cultural context in which they are accepted (Brink, 1999).

137. T.L. Brink Crafton Hills College Yucaipa CA 92399 tlbrink@
craftonhills.edu

138. https://goo.gl/csWGZq