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Retention rates.

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
Here's a study comparing retention rates by religion. (Just for US, I think) I think all faiths struggle to some extent these days. With much more education available, people shift around a lot more in belief, that I suspect they did even 50 years back.

I don't see it as a bad thing, just an observation on life.

Thoughts?

Religious retention rates
 

Kalidas

Well-Known Member
Here's a study comparing retention rates by religion. (Just for US, I think) I think all faiths struggle to some extent these days. With much more education available, people shift around a lot more in belief, that I suspect they did even 50 years back.

I don't see it as a bad thing, just an observation on life.

Thoughts?

Religious retention rates

I do find it strange that Atheism has such a low retention rate I really thought it would be far higher.
 

Tarheeler

Argumentative Curmudgeon
Premium Member
I've seen similar data before, and the religions with the top retention rates always seem to be ones with a strong ethnic or cultural component to them: they're not just religions. They offer more than just the traditional framework of a religion, and even if that part fails for an individual there is still something to tie them to the group.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
I've seen similar data before, and the religions with the top retention rates always seem to be ones with a strong ethnic or cultural component to them: they're not just religions. They offer more than just the traditional framework of a religion, and even if that part fails for an individual there is still something to tie them to the group.

That makes a ton of sense. The other thing is there is no mention of degree of religiousity. (if that's a word at all) Lots of people who identify just may be, like you said, cultural ______s.

Then again, I've seen searchers switch like 3 times a day, so it's all taken with grain of salt.
 

Koldo

Outstanding Member
Here's a study comparing retention rates by religion. (Just for US, I think) I think all faiths struggle to some extent these days. With much more education available, people shift around a lot more in belief, that I suspect they did even 50 years back.

I don't see it as a bad thing, just an observation on life.

Thoughts?

Religious retention rates

I guess, and I just might be wrong, that culture and interpersonal relationship plays a huge part on retention rates.
 

Koldo

Outstanding Member
I've seen similar data before, and the religions with the top retention rates always seem to be ones with a strong ethnic or cultural component to them: they're not just religions. They offer more than just the traditional framework of a religion, and even if that part fails for an individual there is still something to tie them to the group.

Pfft. Had I seen your post before I would have just nodded in agreement, and let it be. You have said it much better than I could.
 

Poeticus

| abhyAvartin |
That makes a ton of sense. The other thing is there is no mention of degree of religiousity. (if that's a word at all) Lots of people who identify just may be, like you said, cultural ______s.

Then again, I've seen searchers switch like 3 times a day, so it's all taken with grain of salt.

... But the description in the link clearly states that it is collection of percentages of people that were "raised in a particular church or religion" (emphasis mine). And therefore, it's safe to say that almost 84% of born-Hindus retain Hinduism into adulthood. In other words, these wouldn't be seekers in the general sense, IMHO ...
 
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Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
... But the description in the link clearly states that it is collection of percentages of people that were "raised in a particular church or religion" (emphasis mine). And therefore, it's safe to say that almost 84% of born-Hindus retain Hinduism into adulthood. In other words, these wouldn't be seekers in the general sense, IMHO ...

True, and fair enough. I still take it all with a grain of salt. :)
 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
I've seen similar data before, and the religions with the top retention rates always seem to be ones with a strong ethnic or cultural component to them: they're not just religions. They offer more than just the traditional framework of a religion, and even if that part fails for an individual there is still something to tie them to the group.
Thats what I was thinking. A religion that is more conducent as being a lifestyle involving more than just the tenants involved. In addition to Judaism, Im lead to think of the Amish as being highly retentive. It's rather surprising to see Christianity divided by denomination rather than the general designation of Christian in the Chart. I think Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism shouldnt have been lumped together comparatively with the Christian designations.
 

Kalidas

Well-Known Member
Thats what I was thinking. A religion that is more conducent as being a lifestyle involving more than just the tenants involved. In addition to Judaism, Im lead to think of the Amish as being highly retentive. It's rather surprising to see Christianity divided by denomination rather than the general designation of Christian in the Chart. I think Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism shouldnt have been lumped together comparatively with the Christian designations.

Good point, especially when you consider "Hinduism" is really more like "hinduisms", with each sect being just as complex and in depth as the whole of Christianity.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
Thats what I was thinking. A religion that is more conducent as being a lifestyle involving more than just the tenants involved.

For many, the lifestyle is following the tenets, or at least some of the tenets are about lifestyle, not just the nature of God, or philosophy.
 

Quintessence

Consults with Trees
Staff member
Premium Member
I feel that the more important thing to take home from this is that a very large fraction of Americans change religious affiliation at least once in their lifetime. There is another presentation done by PEW that highlights this, though I'm too lazy to dig it up at the moment. I don't feel religious identity should be something we consider fixed and rigid; it should shift to feel the needs of the culture and the persons involved.

I do wonder, however, how well these data capture syncretism, which is quite common in the contemporary world.
 

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
30% retention rate for Atheism? That is puzzling. Maybe among those who were raised with some sort of expectation for them to be atheists...
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
30% retention rate for Atheism? That is puzzling. Maybe among those who were raised with some sort of expectation for them to be atheists...

I think it most likely doesn't include the 'don't know, don't care' crowd. So technically those folks would be not atheists now.
 

Quintessence

Consults with Trees
Staff member
Premium Member
Good point, especially when you consider "Hinduism" is really more like "hinduisms", with each sect being just as complex and in depth as the whole of Christianity.

I suspect this was done because of methodological limitations. If you were to tease out all the various traditions of Hinduism, you would not have enough data to make any meaningful statistical analysis. It is probably for that reason that my own religion isn't even part of their analysis... that and the fact that there are very few second-generation Neopagans because we're a new religious movement.
 

Quintessence

Consults with Trees
Staff member
Premium Member
I think it most likely doesn't include the 'don't know, don't care' crowd. So technically those folks would be not atheists now.

PEW differentiates between hard-line self-identified atheists and the indifferent "nones" crowd. This is shown on their presentation of the data in the article. Of course, the "nones" rate really isn't that different from the "atheists" rate, but we can't tell statistical significance from that graph, unfortunately.
 

Kalidas

Well-Known Member
I suspect this was done because of methodological limitations. If you were to tease out all the various traditions of Hinduism, you would not have enough data to make any meaningful statistical analysis. It is probably for that reason that my own religion isn't even part of their analysis... that and the fact that there are very few second-generation Neopagans because we're a new religious movement.

This is true and as stared earlier. In America Hindus just say "I'm Hindu." Isn't neopagan one of the quickest growing religions right now?
 

Quintessence

Consults with Trees
Staff member
Premium Member
This is true and as stared earlier. In America Hindus just say "I'm Hindu." Isn't neopagan one of the quickest growing religions right now?

It's claimed, but because it's not an organized religion (or even a single religion, really) where we can track membership, there are no hard data to back up the statement. You can do things like use google analytics to watch frequency of search terms as an indicator, examine sales of books and media related to those paths, extrapolate based on the incarcerated, and so on, but they're not as good as a direct measure. Helen Berger is the one scholar I know of that has done demographic studies, but her work was more to characterize the demographic, not attempt to track the "how many" and "growth rate" question.
 

Levite

Higher and Higher
I've seen similar data before, and the religions with the top retention rates always seem to be ones with a strong ethnic or cultural component to them: they're not just religions. They offer more than just the traditional framework of a religion, and even if that part fails for an individual there is still something to tie them to the group.

That makes a ton of sense. The other thing is there is no mention of degree of religiousity. (if that's a word at all) Lots of people who identify just may be, like you said, cultural ______s.



^^^Both of these, yes.
 

paarsurrey

Veteran Member
Here's a study comparing retention rates by religion. (Just for US, I think) I think all faiths struggle to some extent these days. With much more education available, people shift around a lot more in belief, that I suspect they did even 50 years back.

I don't see it as a bad thing, just an observation on life.

Thoughts?

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/geneveith/2012/07/religious-retention-rates/

The retention rate of Atheists is 30%, the lowest, because those belonging to Atheism became as such without a positive proof or evidence in its favor; they must shift it as soon as they realize their blunder.

Regards
 
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