Age Differences in Patterns and Correlates of the Frequency of Prayer

Open Access

1 February 1997

journal article
review article
Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in The Gerontologist

Vol. 37 (1) , 75-88
https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/37.1.75

Abstract

This study examines differences by age cohort in (a) the frequency of prayer, (b) racial andgender variation in prayer, and (c) religious and sociodemographic correlates of prayer.Analyses are conducted across four age cohorts (18–30, 31–40,41–60, 2≥61) using data fromthe 1988 National Opinion Research Center (NORC) General Social Survey (N = 1,481).Findings reveal that prayer is frequently practiced at all ages, but more frequently insuccessively older cohorts. In addition, females and, to a lesser extent, African Americans praymore frequently than males and Whites, respectively. Further, hierarchical multiple regression analyses reveal statistically significant associations across age cohorts between prayer and key measures of religious behavior, feeling, belief, and experience.

Keywords

This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit:

Religion, Emotions, and Health
Published by Elsevier ,1996