Research Shows…

Chuck on June 30th, 2009

I’ve been looking at some research on spirituality in higher education lately.  I’ve concentrated my time in research that is done by Universities themselves.  I’ve been doing this to stay away from any faith bias, seeking to see what measurements they are using for their research, what they are finding, and what they are saying about their findings.  

I’ve recently looked back over one study called, “A College Students Search for Meaning and Purpose.”  In my book, College Ministry 101, I have a chapter on the college-age pursuit of meaning.  I discuss what they deem as meaningful, how they pursue finding it, how their definitions and pursuits differ from their parents generation, and then how we can help guide them toward biblically mature conclusions in their pursuit of meaning.  But, this research is different – it’s just filled with stats.  

Here are some of the stats that stood out to me as I reviewed this study last night.  The last one I’d love to get some of your feedback on!

  • (52%) of the college students sampled reported attending religious services frequently the year before they entered college, but less than one-third (29%) attend frequently by their junior year
  • Two-thirds (65%) report that they question their religious/spiritual beliefs at least occasionally (18% frequently), and a similar number (68%) say that they are “feeling unsettled about spiritual and religious matters” at least “to some extent.”  I think this gives us some real focus in college ministry.  Helping college students “land” for themselves ought to be one of our top priorities.
  • One-third (38%) of the students report feeling “disillusioned with my religious upbringing” at least “to some extent.”  That means 1 in every 3 people in your college ministry could fall under this category.  We should be digging deep into their lives, individually!
  • This last one I’ll put as a point of conversation.  The stat is: students become less concerned with becoming well- off  financially after three years of college (71% to 63%).  Why do you think that is?  What might be contributing to this?  

Related posts:

  1. “Spiritual but not religious”
  2. Pressure in College
  3. Campus Sub-Cultures, Part: Four
  4. College Students Opinions Sway Left
  5. Article of Interest

Share Discuss (1)

Evan at 8:08am July 7

I think it is because they get used to not having any money and realize that they can still survive without a great deal of money. I think another aspect of it is our generation. I think many college students in Middle America were pretty much able to get whatever they wanted growing up and see that it didn’t cause them or their parents to be truly happy.