Religion has become a potent factor in many first world countries, yet

seems to hold a strong root in developing countries. Therefore, the statement of

problem is To what extent has religion been affected in Industry, Guyana.

The researcher is of the opinion that the shedding of ones religious cloak
is directly linked to modernization. It is interesting to note that the elderly has a
strong religious culture which opposes the young and he/she scrutinizes and links
any resistance to religious culture as a means of new trends. Thus, the purpose
of this research is to identify the level of impact modernization has on religion
using the sample area chosen and to conclude the cause of the problem. The goal
can be achieved by distributing questionnaires to carefully chosen surveyees
among different age groups.

A value this research communicates is that it can alert religious

worshippers why there is a decline in religious belief. Religion is a community,
gives a sense of belonging and a sense of identity. If factors of religious
resentment can be identified -and possibly rectified- then maybe troubled
community members can be counselled and learn to cope with the harsh reality
of the world

Modernization- the progressive transition from a pre-modern society to a

modern society.
Religion- the belief in and worship of a superhuman entity/power.
Secularization theory- refers to the belief that as society progress through
modernization and rationalisation, religion loses its authority in all aspects of
social life and governance.
Millennials- a person reaching adulthood in the early 21st century
Generation gap- a difference of attitudes between people of different
generations.

1|Page
 As society and values changes, the world changes with it. Modernization
is impacting the world in both a negative and a positive light and replacing basic
values and bringing a variety of societal changes. This is deemed post-
modernization1 (Inglehart 1997). (Douglas, 1988) claims, modernity has
adversely affected religion predominately in Western culture. Of course, as
basic values changes, primitive values that once governed societies are being
replaced. This societal change is largely seen by the millennials of society.
Argument arises that human rights depict religious beliefs as impractical and
immoral as equality, homosexuality, science and education become more
mainstream. This allows people to openly criticize and wholly abandon religion
altogether, and consequently, a secularized society is formed2 (Crabtree, Human
religions 2002). It is largely believed that challenging the supernatural is
characteristically a western phenomenon. However, a worldwide survey
discoveries 13% of the world population is atheist, with China and Japan
contributing more than half of that actual figure3 (Gilani, Shahid and Zuettel
2012). Similarly, secularization has impacted the more politically powerful and
industrially driven counties of South America. The researcher postulates
modernization cannot entirely be blamed for religious abandonment. Therefore,
the researcher aims to pin-point the factors which can possibly increase religious
abandonment in a modernizing society.

Many authors have achieved to explain thoroughly why religion has

declined but failed to mention why religion is still a strong presence in third-
world today and to an extent, first-world countries. (Douglas 1988) claims
modernization has not necessarily disproven traditional religion, but resulted
in the formation of new cults e.g. evangelical Protestantism- Pentecostalism.

2|Page
She theories where one religion may have fallen, others such as Islam has
survived, soared and even expanded to Africa. In spite of this, (Crabtree, 2014)
argues religious countries have the highest rate of crimes. Some studies, based
on their preferential beliefs, are biased to one side, predominately the non-
religious side while others adapt to a loosely fair prospective. Whether one is
biased or not has largely to do with their belief; hostility may also increase with
the type of non-believer he/she defines him/herself as 4 (Marcotte 2013). More
or less, religion and modernization are two sensitive words in the present era
and are opened for extreme subjective interpretations. (Hunter & Malik, 2005)
defines modernization as a society which cannot be deemed modern without
a democratic government; however, (Inglehart, 1997) defines modernization is
not linear, and it is a process that increases the economic and political
capabilities of a society.

Modernization is a source towards secularization and it promotes loss of

faith and religious belief. Currently, more researches are being done to discover
the extent to which religion has been affected in this rapidly secularizing society5
(Menhas 2015). This study correlates with other works by researchers in that it
explores the damages modernization has inflicted upon religion, while paying
close attention to the young minds of society. It avoids and therefore overcomes
a challenge -biasness- by exploring both sides of a persons preferential belief.

3|Page
 The researcher conducted a quantitative cross-sectional research. In-
order to efficiently gather information on the topic, a primary source (a
questionnaire) and numerous secondary sources were obtained and analysed.

The questionnaire consisted of a total of fourteen (14) questions- 4

personal and 10 topic oriented questions. The questions were of the forced-
choice-type but an option was available where the respondents could have
given their own perspective. In this way, deeper understanding of the problem
statement was achieved.

Industry, a modernizing village in the vicinity of the capital Georgetown,

Guyana, was chosen as the sample area. Fifty (50) questionnaires were issued
by stratified random sampling method and forty-seven (47) questionnaires were
distributed; it was distributed to particular age group throughout the capital
city. Fifteen (14) questionnaires were distributed to senior teenagers and ten (9)
to junior teenagers from numerous schools, fifteen (16) to adults and ten (8) to
senior citizens. This method of distribution was used because the researcher had
to study the change of perspective with age.

Numerous e-books from the internet, studies, articles and educational

websites were found and analysed for the secondary source. The e-books were
free previews from books.google.com. These sources framed the backbone of
the research and gave the researcher a better view of the topic on a global scale.

4|Page
Lot 4
Industry, Area B,
East Coast Demerara.

Dear participant,

You are kindly asked to participate in this study based on the impact of
modernization in the village Industry, Guyana. I, the surveyor, who is currently
enrolled at Queens College, and pursuing his final year in the CAPE
examinations, am compiling a study as to how modernization has impacted
Guyana and how religion has been affected by this change

I ask a small fraction of your time to complete this survey and wish to inform
you that the completion of this survey lies solely in you, and you are free to
skip any questions or abandon the survey at any time. If you wish to partake in
this study, I ask that you answer all question honestly and return the
questionnaire to the researcher once finished.

Your volunteerism in this research is greatly appreciated and your response

will not be put to waste.

Thank you,

Mark. A. Henry

5|Page
 Instruction: Please place a tick in the box provided or, where prompted, write
briefly in the space provided.

1. Age:

13-20 21-34 35-49 >50

2. Sex:

male female

3. Religion:

Christianity Hinduism Islam Other (please specify) _________

4. Occupation:

Self-employed Unemployed Firm-employed Student Other

5. Irrespective of whether you attend a place of worship or not, are a religious

person?

Strongly religious Religious Unsure Not religious Atheist

6. How many times per month do you attend your place of worship/religious
gathering?

Every week 2-3 times per month Less than two times Dont attend

7. Do you agree the elderly are more involved in religious activities while the
young either avoids or abandons it?

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

8. Do you believe modernization has contributed to the decrease in religious

activities?

6|Page
 Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

9. Which age group do you believe are the most affected by this change?

Young children/teenager (5-15) Senior teenagers (16-19) Young adults (20-40)

Middle-aged and senior adults (>40)

10.Why do you think this particular age group is the most affected by
modernization?

Greater influence by the media

Exposure to the world-wide web
Peer-pressure
Age group are at particular age where they can learn and adapt faster than
their seniors
All of the above

11. How do you believe this particular age group is mostly affected by
modernization?

Less morals, as seen in their choice of clothes and lifestyle

More disrespectful to elders
More likely to do drugs and involve in harmful actions/behaviour
All of the above
Other: ________________________________________________________

12.State your opinion on whether you think third-world countries are more
involved in religious activities than first-world countries.

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

13.Why do you believe religious involvement has declined?

7|Page
 science has disproven many religious theories and people are more incline
to accept god as a fictional being
Disconnections form family tradition.
Peer-pressure
Modernization- society has become more modern
All of the above

14.Over the years, religion has and is continuing to be pushed aside and scientific
knowledge has replaced many teachings of religion. As a concerned and avid
religious follower, choose how you would combat this change.

Encourage friends and family to attend religious gatherings weekly and/or

frequently.
Encourage family-time and keep closer contact with family members.
Limit the time children spends on television and the internet and encourage
religious activities.
Educate your juniors on why religion is important.
Not a religious follower/none of the above.
Other: ________________________________________________________

8|Page
 Pie chart showing the frequency of religious people vs non-
religious in the sample area

Religion Non-religious
Unsure Atheist
Fig 1
Figure 1 showing the degree of religiosity in the sample population. 79% of respondents are
religious, 9% are unsure, 9% are unreligious and 4% are atheist.

Bar chart showing the effect of age on the religiosity of

respondents

Atheist Non-religious Unsure Religious

>50

35-49

21-34

13-20

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Fig 2
Figure 2 showing how age affected the religious believe in the sample population. It shows
respondents at the age of >50 who are very religious (26%); middle-aged adults who are
religious (19%); young adults aged 21-34 who are religious (4%), unsure (4%), non-religious
(9%) or atheist (4%); and teenagers aged 13-20 who are religious (30%) or unsure (4%).

9|Page
 Clustered graph showing the religious belief
of students and respondents of different
population
25

20

15

10

0
Religious Unsure Non-religious Atheist

Student Other

Fig 3
Figure 3 showing how education in the post-modern world affects the religiosity on respondents
based on the respondents job i.e. student or other. The graph concludes 34%, 9%, 9% and 4% of
respondents are religious, unsure, non-religious or atheist respectively while 45% of other
(unemployed, firm-employed) are religious.

Clustered chart showing the factors which have

decreaced religion

21

14

1 2

Science and eduction Disconnection from family tradition

Peer pressure Mondernization
All of the above

Fig 4
Figure 4 shows that education and science (45%) are the major factor to be blamed for a decline in
religious believe. The other factors are disconnections from family tradition (2), peer pressure (4%),
modernization (19%) and all of the above (all of the listed factors combined) (30%).

10 | P a g e
 3-D bar graph showing the respondents'
answers on the effect of modernization on
religion.

24
25 19
20

15

10
2 2
5

Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree

Fig 5
Figure 5 shows the respondents perspective on the effect on modernization on religion. The
majority of the sample population strongly agreed or agreed- 41% and 51% respectively 4 that
modernization negatively affected religion- while 4% disagreed and 4% strongly disagreed.

Doughnut chart showing the respondent's views on

which age group is the most affected by
modernization

4% 2%

Young children/teenagers (5-15)

38%
Senior teenagers (16-19)
Young adults (20-40)
middle age and senior adults (>40)
56%

Fig 6
Figure 6 shows the respondents answers on which age group are the most affected by
modernization. Many respondents (18) chose young children/teenagers; the majority chose senior
teenagers (26); 2 respondents chose young adults and 1 respondent chose middle-aged and senior
adults.

11 | P a g e
 Question Options choice of Frequency
answer- percen-
Frequency tage (%)
10) Why do you Greater influence by the media 12 26
think this particular Exposure to the world-wide-web 2 4
age group is the Peer-pressure 2 4
most affected by Age group at an age where they can learn and 5 5
modernization? adapt faster
All of the above 26 55
11)How do you Less morals 21 45
believe this Disrespectful to elders 5 11
particular age group More likely to be involved in dangerous activities 1 2
is mostly affected by All of the above 17 36
modernization? Other 3 6
12) Do you believe Strongly agree 24 51
third-world Agree 16 34
countries are more Neutral 5 11
involved in religion Disagree 2 4
than first-world Strongly disagree 0 0
countries?
14) How would you Encourage associates to attend religious 19 40
combat the decline gatherings/activates
in religion? Encourage family time and keep closer contact 7 15
with family members
Limit time children spend on television and the 14 30
internet
Educate juniors on why religions is important 5 11
Not a religious follower 2 4
Table summarizing the results obtained from the experiment

12 | P a g e
 Figure 1 shows religion is still highly valued in the modernizing village,
Industry, but they are some signs of uncertainty (9%), non-religious (9%) and
atheism (4%). Further analysis found that age was a crucial factor in a
respondent personal believe- as present by figure 2. Of the 79% of religious
people, 26% are over fifty (50) years of age, 19% are between the age group 35-
49-year-old, 4% of respondents are 21-34 years old and 30% of respondents are
13-20 years of age. It is not surprising that as the age of the respondent
decreases, the believe in religion evidently dropped, atheism was 4% and non-
religious belief was 9%. Therefore, the age group 21-34 has the most variation
in religious belief. However, the largest religious age group was 13-20 years-old
(30%) and one reason for this was because of the large number of
questionnaires distributed to them.

Figure 3 shows how religion in a post modernized society affects religion

based on the respondents type of occupation. For this comparison, the groups
were grouped into two categories- student and other. Other was a general
grouping for occupations besides student. The graph shows that students who
are being educated in a post modernized world are greatly affected in their
religious belief (9%, 9% and 4% are unsure, non-religious or atheist respectively)
while only 34% of the students sample population are religious. In comparison,
respondents who are working or unemployed are very religious (45%). In order
to arrive at this conclusion, a prediction was made that the working class and
the unemployed were part of a different timeline where religion was very
important and furthermore, compulsory. To further explore the factors that
promoted a decline in religious believe, figure 4 was constructed. Figure 4 shows
the factors that the respondents believe has decreased religious belief. The most
13 | P a g e
popular choice (45%) was education and science, which agreed with figure 3.
The other factors are disconnections form family tradition (2%), peer pressure
(4%), modernization (19%) and the last was a combination of all the listed factors
(30%).

The 3-D bar graph, figure 5, shows the respondents answers on whether
modernization has affected religious belief. The findings mirror previous analysis
(i.e. figure 4) and the majority of respondents either strongly agreed (41%) or
agreed (51%) that modernization has negatively affected religious believe. It is
intriguing to note, respondents who claimed they were atheist or non-religious
strongly disagreed or disagreed that modernization was a cause of religious
decline. Of the 4% of atheist sampled, all 4% strongly disagreed that
modernization affected their religious belief in any way; the 9% of non-religious
respondents disagreed (4%). Many respondents have agreed that
modernization has affected particular age groups in certain ways- as seen in
figure 6. Figure 6 exhibits the respondents answers on which age group are the
most affected by modernization. The mass of the sample population chose the
age groups 5-15 (38%, young children/teenagers) or 16-19 (56%, senior
teenagers). Surprisingly one (1) respondent (2%) chose middle aged and senior
adults. One reason for this could have been a misinterpretation of the topic as a
whole or of the question.

Finally, figure 7, displays a comprehensive statistical table that shows the

remaining questions, the choice chosen and the frequency percentage for each.
Question 10-11 on the table seeks to answer the questions how and why
modernization has affected the chosen age group. Although 3 respondents (6%)
may have chosen other, they gave no explanation as to why they chose it. An
interesting scenario occurred with the elderly who are fifty (50) and above. Of
the 26% sampled population (>50), all of them adapted a pessimistic perspective
as to how the chosen age group would be affected and chose all of the above.
14 | P a g e
The choice all of the above tallied to a percentage of 36%, and the remaining
percentage came from the middle-aged adults (35-49). Nevertheless, the most
popular choice was a decrease in morals which accumulated a total of 45% of
the sample population.

From the data obtained by the questionnaires, it is without a doubt

modernization has dauntingly affected the religious believe of millennials and
the ever-newer generation negatively.

15 | P a g e
 The research can decipher from the data obtained that religion has
drastically declined in the village, Industry, Guyana between the millennials and
the younger generations of society but yet a strong presence in the elderly (>50)
and middle-aged adults (35-49). There is no doubt that as the young moves away
from religion, society and societal values will change indefinitely, as predicted
by (Inglehart, 1997). This is reinforced by the fact that the loss of morals (i.e.
societal values) was the most popular choice among respondents (45%) in
question eight (8).

Though they were an increase in religious abandonment, religion is still an

integral part of society in the sampled population. This was suggested by
(Douglas, 1988) who claim modernization has not necessarily eradicated religion
but resulted in the formation of new cults. Not surprisingly, this is quite true
because the sampled area is dominated by protestant religion (seventh-day
Adventists and the Gospel church) derived from the Roman catholic.

It has also been suggested by (Douglas, 1988) religion has been affected
by modernization, predominately in Western culture, and of this effect, the
millennials are the major targets. From the data, within the age group 21-34 where
4% are religious, 4% are unsure,9% are non-religious and 4% are atheists, the
researcher can deduce that she is accurate in her deduction. Nevertheless, this
does not mean the age group 21-34 are the only groups affected. The age group
13-20 which has 4% uncertainty in their religious belief cannot be entirely
overlooked. At this sensitive age, they are adapting to the world. The beliefs they
possess can be moulded by other people and external forces as they age e.g. some
are religious either out of fear or being forced to be religious. The researcher can
predict that has they age and learn, some can question their beliefs and can branch
off into the category of non-religiousness or atheism.

16 | P a g e
 Other factors that contribute to the decline in religious belief besides age
are science and education. From the research, it was found that science and
education (45%) are the main cause of religious abandonment. The second most
popular choice was all of the above (30%) that included disconnections from
family tradition (2%), peer pressure (4%), modernization (19%) and science and
education. This has been supported by (Crabtree, Human religions, 2002) who
states human rights depict religious beliefs as impractical and immoral as
equality, homosexuality, science and education become more mainstream. Yet,
besides these factors listed in the questionnaire, they are numerous other
physiological conflicts and factors that can reduce a persons religious belief.

17 | P a g e
 This research was conceived and made possible due to the researcher
studying the extent to which religion has been affected by modernization, and to
an extent, religion has been severely affected by modernization. It has been
shown that age, science, education, and other factors all contributes to an upsurge
in non-religiousness and atheism. However, this does not those are the only
factors that may alter religious belief.

The most major limitation to the research was the size of the sampled
population. To effectively conclude how religion has been affected, a very large
sample population was needed to discover more trends and patterns. The
resource, time and manpower was not available to sample a large number of
people and consequently, the data obtained was doubtful. Furthermore, the data
obtained would have been more significant if it was compared to a research done
in a first world country.

The method of distribution of the questionnaire was a tedious process since

the researcher had to visit the respondent place of dwelling. This greatly
consumed the time taken for the research.

18 | P a g e
 Religion plays an important part on our everyday lives and moulds us into
who we are. Due to modernization, there is an upsurge of non-religiousness
and atheism. Hence, systems need to be put in place so that the religious, non-
religious and atheist can co-exist and live peacefully:

1. In third world countries, there is little room for the odd ones out and
due to dogmatism, society criticizes and scrutinizes people of different
believe, i.e. of no believe. People need to respect ones choice and they
should accept this societal change in religious perspective as a
consequence of modernization. Awareness of this situation should be
encouraged and can be spread by educating the masses on atheism This
will benefit those people who chose the path of atheism and will help
them live a carefree and discrimination-free life.
2. Since religion is still a strong presence, young teenagers and children can
be introduced to religious activities so they can choose a religious path
(or not) at a young age.

19 | P a g e
Lot 4
Industry, Area B,
East Coast Demerara.

Dear participant,

You are kindly asked to participate in this study based on the impact of
modernization in the village Industry, Guyana. I, the surveyor, who is currently
enrolled at Queens College, and pursuing his final year in the CAPE
examinations, am compiling a study as to how modernization has impacted
Guyana and how religion has been affected by this change

I ask a small fraction of your time to complete this survey and wish to inform
you that the completion of this survey lies solely in you, and you are free to
skip any questions or abandon the survey at any time. If you wish to partake in
this study, I ask that you answer all question honestly and return the
questionnaire to the researcher once finished.

Your volunteerism in this research is greatly appreciated and your response

will not be put to waste.

Thank you,

20 | P a g e
 Mark. A. Henry

Instruction: Please place a in the box provided or, where prompted, write briefly
in the space provided.

1. Age:

13-20 21-34 35-49 >50

2. Sex:

male female

3. Religion:

Christianity Hinduism Islam Other (please specify): Atheist

4. Occupation:

Self-employed Unemployed Firm-employed Student Other

5. Irrespective of whether you attend a place of worship or not, are a religious

person?

Strongly religious Religious Unsure Not religious Atheist

6. How many times per month do you attend your place of worship/religious
gathering?

Every week 2-3 times per month Less than two times Dont attend

7. Do you agree the elderly are more involved in religious activities while the
young either avoids or abandons it?

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

8. Do you believe modernization has contributed to the decrease in religious

activities?
21 | P a g e
 Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

9. Which age group do you believe are the most affected by this change?

Young children/teenager (5-15) Senior teenagers (16-19) Young adults (20-40)

Middle-aged and senior adults (>40)

10.Why do you think this particular age group is the most affected by
modernization?

Greater influence by the media

Exposure to the world-wide web
Peer-pressure
Age group are at particular age where they can learn and adapt faster than
their seniors
All of the above

11. How do you believe this particular age group is mostly affected by
modernization?

Less morals, as seen in their choice of clothes and lifestyle

More disrespectful to elders
More likely to do drugs and involve in harmful actions/behaviour
All of the above
Other: They are not affected.

12.State your opinion on whether you think third-world countries are more
involved in religious activities than first-world countries.

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

22 | P a g e
13.Why do you believe religious involvement has declined?

science has disproven many religious theories and people are more incline
to accept god as a fictional being
Disconnections form family tradition.
Peer-pressure
Modernization- society has become more modern
All of the above

14.Over the years, religion has and is continuing to be pushed aside and scientific
knowledge has replaced many teachings of religion. As a concerned and avid
religious follower, choose how you would combat this change.

Encourage friends and family to attend religious gatherings weekly and/or

frequently.
Encourage family-time and keep closer contact with family members.
Limit the time children spends on television and the internet and encourage
religious activities.
Educate your juniors on why religion is important.
Not a religious follower/none of the above.
Other: ________________________________________________________

23 | P a g e
 NOTES

1
Inglehart, Ronald. 1997. Modernization and postmodernization, cultural, economic and political
change in 43 societies. Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press.

Crabtree, Vexen. 2014. 03 October. http://www.vexen.co.uk/religion/ethics.html.

Douglas, Mary. 1988. The effects of modernization on religious change.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/20025187.

Hunter, Shireen .T., and Huma Malik. 2005. Modernization, democracy, and Islam. 88 Post Road
West, Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group.

Mohammed, Jennifer. 2015. Caribbean studies for CAPE examinations. Vol. second edition. 4 Crinan
Street: Macmillian Publishers limited.

2
Crabtree, Vexen. 2002. Human religions. 23 August. http://www.humanreligions.info/secularisation.html.

3
Gilani, Shafi Ijaz, Rushna Shahid , and Irene Zuettel. 2012. Global index of religiosity and atheism.
http://www.wingia.com/web/files/news/14/file/14.pdf.
4
Marcotte, Amanda. 2013. The 6 Types of Atheists and Non-Believers in America. 11 July.
http://www.alternet.org/belief/6-types-atheists-and-non-believers-america.
5
Menhas, R., Umer, S., Akhtar, S., et al. 2015. Impact Of Modernization On Religious Institution: A
Case Study Of Khyber Pakhtun Khwa, Pakistan. European Review Of Applied Sociology
https://www.degruyter.com/downloadpdf/j/eras.2015.8.issue-10/eras-2015-0003/eras-
2015-0003.xml.

24 | P a g e