Preview

Generational Differences In America

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
580 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Generational Differences In America
In the United States, its citizens are categorized by their date of birth into four commonly known generations. The individuals born anytime before 1946 are considered Pre-Boomers, individuals born between 1946 and 1964 are known as Boomers, individuals born between 1965 and 1976 are known as Generation X, and last but not least is Generation Y, which are individuals born anytime after 1977. The individuals categorized in each of these generations tend to share similar values and views on things such as religion, culture and politics. These segregated differences in views are also known as generational gaps. “A generation gap is commonly perceived to refer to differences between generations that cause conflict and complicate communication, creating a gap.” (Adcox, 2012)
Research shows that there are many other differences between each generation in America, however the generational differences in attitudes toward religion tend to be very apparent.
…show more content…
The three statements included: “Prayer is an important part of my daily life, We will all be called before God at the Judgment Day to answer for our sins, and I never doubt the existence of God.” (Pew Research Center Publications, 2007) In past years, eight out of ten Americans agreed with these three statements and the agreement of these three statements between the generations rose dramatically during the 1990’s. Then , the majority of Americans believed that religion and personal beliefs were extremely important and a vast majority belonged to a religious affiliation. However, the percentage of generational agreement has started to fall within recent years as the new generations start to come

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    1. Do you believe the United States is becoming more secularized or more fundamentalist? Comparing your generation to that of your parents or grandparents, what differences do you see in the relationship between religion and society? What would popular media have you believe is the state of religion in the United States today?…

    • 463 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The opposing argument to the view that people always need religion is that of secularisation. Defined by Bryan Wilson as 'the process whereby religious beliefs, practices and institutions lose social significance' Wilson notes that Western societies have been undergoing a long-term process of secularisation, meaning that religion is no longer needed by all people. Evidence to support this can be seen in Church attendance in Britain which was only 6.3% in 2005 halving from 10-15% in the 1960's. Sunday school attendance has also declined and now only a tiny proportion of children now attend. Our religious beliefs have also changed too, Robin Gill et al 1998 reviewed almost 100 national surveys from 1939 to 1996 showing a significant decline in belief in a personal god, and in traditional teachings about the afterlife and the bible. All of which leading Wilson to conclude that Britain has become a secular society. There is also evidence to say that secularisation is taking place in America too. Bruce identifies three sources of evidence to support his claim, declining church attendance with opinion polls exaggerating attendance by 47% in 1972 to 101% in 1996, secularisation from within meaning religion in America has remained popular by becoming less religious, and lastly religious diversity leading to the erosion of absolutism. This evidence from Britain and America opposes the view that people always need religion.…

    • 1354 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    At the heart of the challenge are the very differences of the generations. These differences impact how we manage and lead these individuals, and how we interact with each other everyday. It is critical to have a solid understanding of the generational differences. The benefits of understanding and adopting methods for managing such differences will lead to positive results, and help…

    • 608 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Wicca and Discrimination

    • 3200 Words
    • 13 Pages

    The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. (2001). American Religious Identification Survey. Retrieved from http://www.gc.cuny.edu/studies/…

    • 3200 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    The generations of today are different from those of past generations in several different ways. “More than 15 percent of Americans now check the “none” box when asked about religions affiliation” (Snapshot of millennial views, 2012, p. 7). This statement alone indicates the attitude of the current generations regarding religion in America versus that of the old. The majority of the American millennial generation still holds significant value in their Christian beliefs; however, studies show that most hold mixed thoughts regarding the judgmental beliefs of their denomination. Religions are customarily conservative and change at a slower pace than any other social institution (Molloy, 2009).…

    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Religion in America has changed considerably in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. There has been a large shift from mainline to evangelical Christianity but the shift has not proven to be a decline in religion as was once thought. The decline comes into play when the political aspects begin to intertwine with religion. Because there are so many differing viewpoints in religion, it becomes difficult to promote certain political and social agendas and, in some cases, it can lead to the fracturing of the church. Religious specters are also reluctant to express their faith in politics because the Supreme Court has enacted a policy that no longer allows faith to be deeply incorporated in politics. All in all, the expansion of religion has…

    • 162 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The paper comparing and contrasting two of the plays as they relate to the multicultural, the intercultural and the transcultural aspects of each play is interesting to me. I find the intercultural conflicts the most interesting to me so I look forward to writing a lengthy paper on that. Also, the paper comparing and contrasting the Father/Son intergenerational, intercultural conflict is in my top choices because I can feel the generational differences between my father and I, and hope to be inspired by my own experiences. Creating a film trailer would also be interesting, but I would much rather write a…

    • 102 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After realizing that he was not his father and most likely would never be able to achieve what his father had; Mr. Hicks was forced to leave his life brilliance and enter a lackluster life overshadowed with mediocrity. Mr. Hicks’s life has shifted from soaring through the sky and to “rid[ing] commuter trains” and “serving on committees” (28; 29). The life Mr. Hick’s has been dropped into is one that he can never truly be happy in because it will never compare to the life he lived when he worked with his dead. The pain and disappointment that Mr. Hicks had to go through left him “wishing [that he could have] drowned” like Icarus had because at least then he would not have to go through life knowing he was not good enough to have the life his…

    • 354 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Even this 10 percent may be explained by more recent social science insights into "healthy religious practice" and "unhealthy religious practice."[10] This latter notion will be discussed later -- it is seen generally by most Americans of religious faith as a mispractice of religion. Unfortunately, the effects of unhealthy religious practice are used to downplay the generally positive influence of religion.[11] This both distorts the true nature of religious belief and practice and causes many policymakers to ignore its positive social…

    • 680 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Sociology Secular Society

    • 6978 Words
    • 28 Pages

    There is much evidence to suggest that contemporary society is not as religious as previously perceived. There are various reasonable interpretations available for this decline in church…

    • 6978 Words
    • 28 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    9) Do you think lack of proper parenting has caused a downfall in generation gap…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Quite often do we come across situations wherein we have a healthy dispute with our elders on one of thousand of issues such as sports vs video games, home made food vs fast food etc. It is such like a battlefield between you and your parents, so what is all this about.The Young getting careless or the Elders getting tougher?, well its none of these.What we have here is a "Generation Gap", technically it is defined as an occurring, “When older nd younger people do not understand each other because of their diff. experiences, opinions, behaviours.”…

    • 314 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    General Gap

    • 1034 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The generation gap which refers to the differences in attitudes between people of different generations like leading to the lack of understanding between a family, friends, officers or the others. It is also defined as a difference in values, lifestyles, and economic, the opportunities that exist between people of different age cohorts living in the same society. The generational differences have existed throughout history.’(Stevenson, Soanes, 2004)’ A gap has been always noted between the current generation and the other generations distinct. ‘(Emillia, 2011)’ Everything is affected by the changes of the time-the age, the culture, mannerism, morality, and thinking. It is possible that the generation gaps are very different from both teenagers and parents like me.…

    • 1034 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Generation Gap

    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages

    "Generation gap" is a popular term used to describe the wide differences between members of younger generation and their older. A generation gap exists when older and younger people don't understand each other because of their experiences, their opinions, habits, behavior and life condition and standard.…

    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are several ways to make distinctions between generations. For example, names are given to major groups and each generation sets its own trends and has its own cultural impact.…

    • 1537 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays