Report Predicts Return of the Baby Boomers

There are strong indications that baby boomers will soon begin attending churches, mosques and synagogues if they have not already done so, according to a report from the Princeton Religion Research Center in New Jersey.

Citing a poll conducted in February by the Gallup Organization, the report says indications are that baby boomers will follow the historic pattern in which people with children begin to turn to religious institutions as centers of fellowship and community.

The flight of baby boomers from organized religion in the 1960s and ‘70s, demographic studies have shown, was largely responsible for the dramatic membership decline experienced by many religious bodies during those years.

According to the Gallup survey, which included a sampling of 477 adults between 26 and 45, only 8% of baby boomer men and 5% of women anticipate attending religious services less frequently over the next five years. More than a third in each group anticipate more frequent attendance, while just over half believe their attendance will not change.

In a later survey, conducted during the last week of May, 69% of the 1,012 adults polled identified themselves as members of churches, compared to 65% in 1990. In addition, 43% said they had attended church services in the last seven days, compared to 40% in 1990.