Religion Declining

I haven't posted here in more than six months, and I'm not so sure I want to get on the hook for regular postings. Still, the American Religious Identification Survey became formally published today and though I have yet to dig into the details, two bits of information I gleaned from an MSNBC.com article should continue to drive home the need for funeral home professionals to find a broader array of services beyond traditional religious observances.

According to the survey:

• 15% of respondents said they had no religion, that's up from 8.2% in 1990
• 30% percent of married couples did not have a religious wedding ceremony and 27% of respondents said

they did not want a religious funeral

27% Did not want a religious funeral. Keep in mind, this is a national average and that your particular area of service could be much higher or even quite a bit lower. This still means that  in many parts of the country, at least one third of your local population does not want religious services in relation to a funeral.

That as they say down South is a big deal.

Here's the MSNBC.com summary of the survey: MSNBC: More Americans say they have no religion

UPDATE: A quote from the USAToday.com website

"More than ever before, people are just making up their own stories of who they are. They say, 'I'm everything. I'm nothing. I believe in myself,' " says Barry Kosmin, survey co-author.

The article has several helpful interactive graphics which allow you to compare the rate of change in belief over time from state to state. For instance, the graphic shows a Massachusetts decline in catholocism of 15% in the last 18 years. That's deeply significant for our Massachusetts based funeral home.

USAToday: Most religious groups in USA have lost ground, survey finds

UPDATE 2: Here's a link to the full survey: American Religious Identification Survey PDF