Faith is a far bigger part of the lives of older adults than younger adults, according to a new study by The Pew Research Center. Its latest Social & Demographic Trends survey found two-thirds of adults aged 65 or older said that religion was very important to them while just over half of those aged 30 to 40 and 44% of 18- to 29-year-olds felt the same way. Moreover, a third of those 65 and older reported that religion had grown more important to them in the course of their lives, with just 4% indicating it had become less so. For 60%, religion's importance had remained the same.

Among 65-and-overs who also reported feeling sad or having an illness, the share of those who said that religion had become more important to them rose to 43%. The study also found that the amount of time devoted to daily prayer increased with age.

The answers from almost 3,000 adults aged 65 or older or with parents that age also revealed that as people get older, they feel younger, relatively speaking. A quarter of 18- to 29-year-olds said they felt younger than they were, while 60% of those aged 65 and up did so.

Source: The Pew Research Center

Read the full report at http://pewsocialtrends.org/pubs/736/getting-old-in-america170.

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