UTCATS

Friday, Jun. 19, 2015

Last month, in the introductory article to this series, I proposed that a better understanding of Catholic young adults will improve ways in which parishes connect with them and engage with this group on faith journey. In order to begin painting this picture, let’s explore the demographics.

The information presented here comes from two sources: the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops pastoral plan for young adult ministry, “Sons and Daughters of the Light,” and the PEW Research Center.

Age is important. In “Sons and Daughters of the Light,” the bishops define young adults as men and women in their late teens, 20s, and 30s. This definition implies that young adult ministry should be directed to those born between 1976 and 1997. Admittedly, that is quite a range; however, it also coincides with the generally defined birth years of the Millennial Generation. Thus, to understand who young adult Catholics are, we must understand Millennials. According to our diocesan database, which can only be as accurate as the information provided by our registered parishioners, approximately 30 percent of Catholic adults in Utah are Millennials.

While the gender composition has stayed relatively even among generations, the American Millennial Generation is more ethnically, culturally and racially diverse than previous generations. According to the 2010 PEW publication “Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next,” 61 percent of Millennials are White, compared to 70 percent of older adults; 19 percent of Millennials are Hispanic, compared to 13 percent of older adults; 14 percent of Millennials are Black compared to 11 percent of older adults; 5 percent of Millennials and older adults are Asian; and 1 percent of Millennials and older adults identify as “other.”

The Millennial Generation, when compared with other generations at similar ages, has obtained more formal education; 49 percent of Millennial males and 60 percent of Millennial females have at least some college or a terminal degree compared with 46 percent of males and 52 percent of females from Generation X. 

Previously, Generation X was the most highly educated generation in American history.

Millennials are also less likely to be married when compared to other generations at similar ages. An overwhelming 75 percent of Millennials are single and have never been married, compared to 67 percent of Generation X, 52 percent of the Baby Boomer Generation and 43 percent of the Silent Generation when they were 18-28 years old. 

Millennials are also more likely to be single parents than previous generations.

The pastoral implications of these demographics will be explored in future articles as we explore what Millennials value, how they engage in the Church, what causes them to leave the Church, and how we can reach out to them.