Secularization and Religious Revival: Evidence from U.S. Church Attendance Rates, 1972-1986

In this research, age-period-cohort models were estimated for NORC church attendance data. The models were identified by assuming no life-course effects on church attendance beyond age 70, an assumption strongly supported by past theory and research. The results a) support a "stability" model of the relationship between aging and church attendance; b) strongly indicate the presence of secularization trends for both Protestants and Catholics; and c) demonstrate that there has been a revival in church attendance for Protestants in the early 1980s. The phenomenon of concurrent secularization and revival is discussed.

Duke Scholars

Author Mark Chaves Sociology