Some evidence that things are not going well for a great many young American men

[Acer]

I'll float another correlation: young people falling away from organized religion. The merits of religion itself aside, there is a strong social component to religion. It is one more opportunity to meet people with whom you have something in common.

[kj]

Acer wrote:
I'll float another correlation: young people falling away from organized religion. The merits of religion itself aside, there is a strong social component to religion. It is one more opportunity to meet people with whom you have something in common.

(tu)

[SteveG]

Acer wrote:
I'll float another correlation: young people falling away from organized religion. The merits of religion itself aside, there is a strong social component to religion. It is one more opportunity to meet people with whom you have something in common.

Isn't that what bars are for?



getting to know you

[Acer]

Steve G. wrote:
[quote=Acer]
I'll float another correlation: young people falling away from organized religion. The merits of religion itself aside, there is a strong social component to religion. It is one more opportunity to meet people with whom you have something in common.

Isn't that what bars are for?



getting to know you


That may work for you, but it's not the only place to enjoy the company of others.

[Ted King]

Acer wrote:
I'll float another correlation: young people falling away from organized religion. The merits of religion itself aside, there is a strong social component to religion. It is one more opportunity to meet people with whom you have something in common.

Another correlation is that youth violent crime has been going down and down as participation in religion has fallen away:



Does that imply that youth being less religious inclines them to do less violent crime?

I know you said correlation not causation but, of course, correlations by themselves imply nothing about causation in and of themselves, so I think your observation of the correlation you mention isn't all that germane without some solid empirical evidence of causation. (I mean no offense in saying that.)

[mrbigstuff]

I don't buy the religion angle, as it's typical that kids and young adults fall away from the church, or synagogue or mosque as they age into adulthood. And perhaps they return as they become parents or middle aged. That's the trend I've witnessed.

If you want to play the communal angle, perhaps it's more like sports participation and after school activities have dropped. We had intramural sports in junior high and tons of "clubs" you could join. Some of my best friends came from those activities.

At any rate, the number one thing is the frkkin phone. There's no close second place.

[Acer]

Yeah, I didn't arrive on the internet yesterday. I understand correlation is not cause. More correctly, correlation alone is not sufficient to prove causation, but it is necessary for causation. Or as xkcd put it, to paraphrase, 'Correlation points furtively and whispers "look over there.'

That said, let me build my case further.

The curve of young adults leaving religion has accelerated significantly over the last decade or two. It is not just the usual sowing wild oats for a spell.

Unlike violent crime, i can draw a plausible connection here. Religion is a significant source of social interaction for many, and young adults are participating less in religion, which may be contributing to their overall reduction in socializing and specific to the OP, meeting potential mates.

Not saying it is THE cause, just a possible contributing factor.

[Ted King]

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