ANALYSIS:WE MIGHT regard ourselves as more liberal and permissive than ever before, but today's poll shows deep division across the generations on attitudes towards faith and morality.
This generation gap between younger and older people is at its widest on issues relating to religion.
When asked to describe their level of engagement with religion, a total of 13 per cent of the population say they are “strongly” religious. Most regard themselves as either “moderately” (45 per cent) or “loosely” religious (29 per cent).
When broken down by age, just 4 per cent of young people see themselves as strongly religious. This rises to 30 per cent among older people, a sevenfold increase.
This pattern is repeated when people disclose how often they attend religious ceremonies.
The proportion attending weekly among older people aged 65 or more is 60 per cent.
This falls dramatically to just 12 per cent among those aged 25 to 34 and 18 per cent among 18 to 24-year-olds.
These gaps between the young and the old are not confined to faith. One of the most heated social debates in recent times has centred on the burqa and whether it should be banned in public places.
Today’s poll shows the population in general has very mixed views. Almost half (49 per cent) say it should be banned, while more than one-third (36 per cent) say it should be allowed. A further 15 per cent say they don’t know.
When broken down by age, it is clear that older people are more likely to take a harder line.
Among those aged 55 or more, a majority (about 60 per cent) want it banned, while just 21 per cent say it should be allowed. The reverse is the case among younger people. Among 18-24s, for example, a minority (38 per cent) want to see it banned, while a majority (51 per cent) say it should be permitted.
The age gap also extends to issues like drink-driving. Younger people are more likely to see it as a serious indiscretion, while older people do not regard it so seriously.
In today’s poll, however, there is one question where the neat division between young and old doesn’t apply.
People were asked if they would be less likely to vote for a politician if they discovered he/she had been unfaithful to his/her partner?
The results are surprising: almost two-thirds (60 per cent) say it wouldn’t make any difference, while almost one-third (30 per cent) would be less likely to vote for such a politician.
The age-related differences are even more interesting. They show that older people and – surprisingly – younger people are most likely to take a negative view of philandering politicians (42 per cent of over-65s, and 38 per cent of 18-24s). Middle-aged people are much more permissive, with just 22 per cent of those aged 45-54 taking a negative view.
Another feature in today’s poll is how the teachings of the Catholic Church is at odds with the majority view of Catholics across a number of key issues.
The findings indicate that increased numbers of Catholics are happy to belong without believing and are taking an a la carte approach to many teachings.
On the question of whether women should be allowed to be ordained into the priesthood, the overall response is an overwhelming “yes”.
A total of 78 per cent say priests should be allowed to marry, while just 14 per cent say they should not.
When the findings are broken down by religion, the views among Catholics reflect the general view, with 78 per cent in agreement that women should be ordained. The same pattern is repeated when people are asked whether priests should be allowed to marry.
A total of 87 per cent of the population say marriage should be an option, while 10 per cent say it should not. Once again, the views of Catholics mirror exactly the national view.
While the faultline of age tends to run through many issues to do with religion, there is a significant amount of common ground across the generations.
People were asked to rank a series of indiscretions – or “sins” as regarded by some religions – as the most serious out of a list of 11 topics. These include tax evasion, sexual infidelity, drink-driving and financial fraud.
In general, people are most likely to disapprove of lying under oath (56 per cent cite it as one of the top three “sins”), followed by financial fraud (55 per cent) and drink driving (48 per cent).
Among the least serious “sins” are illegally downloading or copying music or films (3 per cent), premarital sex (4 per cent), watching pornographic films (11 per cent) and having casual sex without contraception or protection (12 per cent).
The pattern of disapproval is remarkably consistent across most age groups, with most aiming their bulk of their ire at the behaviour of bankers and politicians.