College Students Increasingly Irreligious

The 2001 freshman survey indicated record numbers of students with no religious preference.

This is pretty dated, but I just ran across it: according to the 2001 Nationwide Freshman Survey, college students are becoming less and less religious:

RECORD NUMBER REPORT NO RELIGIOUS PREFERENCE

When asked to indicate their current religious preference, an all-time high of 15.8 percent of students reported none, compared with 14.9 percent last year and 6.6 percent in 1966. The growth in students with no religious preference parallels the growth in the percentage of students who report no religious preference for at least one parent. A record high of 12.4 percent of freshmen describe their fathers as having no religious preference, and a record high of 7.8 percent report no religious reference for their mothers.

Additionally, there is a decline in the percentage of students who pray or meditate at least once a week (from 67.7 in 2000 to 65.7 percent in 2001). A new survey question asked students to rate their level of “religiousness” as compared to the average person their age, with results of 31.7 percent rating themselves above average or in the highest 10 percent. This represents the second-lowest figure among all 21 self-rating measures.

Another reason to see Christ proclaimed on the college campus!

Leave a Reply