Spirituality
Spirituality and religion
In particular, ethnic and minority elders place a major emphasis on spirituality and religion. These life priorities are reflected in the large number of people affiliated with religious groups: 5,981,000 Jewish, 950,000 Old Catholic, 58,568,000 Roman Catholic, 86,684,000 Protestant (includes Latter-day Saints and Jehovah's Witnesses), 3,976,000 Eastern (e.g., Hinduism, Sikhism, Zen, Taoism) and 19,000,000 Buddhist.
Institutionalized religion is the nation's largest social organization in the community. For elderly persons, it is especially important because, as an institution, it creates contacts across the generations, from the very old to the very young. Gallup poll data support the idea that religiosity increases with age.
Updated: November 2, 2007
