8. Spirituality
Spirituality can be defined in many ways and means many different things to different people. As a focus of ATW, it is broadly defined as having a personal belief system that provides meaning and purpose to life. Spirituality facilitates successful aging and can help one cope with adverse circumstances while facilitating a social support system through organized activities. Older Texans report frequent participation in activities that
are spiritually satisfying. The frequency of spiritually satisfying activities, importance of spirituality, and satisfaction with personal spirituality did not change from 2004 to 2008.
Table 8.1 Frequency of Spiritually Satisfying Activity
| How often do you participate in activities that are spiritually satisfying? |
Percent of respondents 2004 |
Percent of respondents 2008 |
| Daily |
26% |
24% |
| Weekly |
53% |
52% |
| Monthly |
7% |
7% |
| Yearly |
4% |
3% |
| Never |
11% |
13% |
| Total |
100% |
100% |
A majority of older Texans feel that having a rich spiritual life is important to having a meaningful and vital life and are satisfied with their personal spirituality.
Table 8.2 Importance of Spirituality
| "For you personally, how important is..." |
Very important |
Somewhat important |
Somewhat unimportant |
Very important |
Total |
| Survey year 2004: Having a rich spiritual life? |
82% |
14% |
2% |
2% |
100% |
| Survey year 2008: Having a rich spiritual life? |
82% |
13% |
3% |
2% |
100% |
Table 8.3 Satisfaction with Personal Spirituality
| "How satisfied are you with..." |
Very satisfied |
Somewhat satisfied |
Somewhat dissatisfied |
Very dissatisfied |
Total |
| Survey year 2004: Your personal spirituality? |
73% |
24% |
2% |
1% |
100% |
| Survey year 2008: Your personal spirituality? |
74% |
23% |
2% |
1% |
100% |
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Updated:
April 11, 2012
