- Almost as many teenagers believe in ghosts and horoscopes
as believe in God, according to an extensive new survey.
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- While 41 per cent said that they believed in God, 40
per cent said that they were convinced that ghosts existed and over a third
- 35 per cent - put their faith in the veracity of horoscopes, the survey
of 34,000 13 to 15-year-olds found.
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- Nearly a third of those questioned thought it possible
to contact the spirits of the dead, two out of every 10 believe that fortune
tellers can see into the future and 22 per cent believe in black magic.
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- The figures, which are further evidence that superstition
is thriving in a scientific age, will concern Church leaders, as the proportion
of teenagers who believe in God is below the national average. A poll among
adults in May last year found that 62 per cent professed belief in the
Almighty.
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- Nevertheless, the survey, which was compiled by the Rev
Leslie Francis, the Professor of Practical Theology at the University of
Wales, Bangor, found that institutional religion remains a powerful influence
in many teenagers' lives. Nearly three-quarters of those questioned want
to get married in church and over half said that they wanted to have their
child baptised.
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- The survey also found strong signs of underlying spirituality
among the respondents: 45 per cent said that they believed in "life
after death" and half thought that people could be Christian without
going to church.
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- The analysis, contained in a new book published this
week called The Values Debate - A Voice from the Pupils, suggests that
the present generation of young teenagers owes more to Margaret Thatcher
and John Major than Tony Blair.
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- According to Mr Francis, who has written several books
on the lives and experiences of teenagers, they are committed to work and
self-sufficiency, they approve of private enterprise and they often rate
individual expression above social collectivity.
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- The teenagers, from 163 state and independent schools
in England and Wales, completed a questionnaire on a range of subjects
from health and sex to education and politics. Most said that the political
colour of the government is irrelevant but almost half believe that it
is possible to improve the world.
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- Social class determines teenagers' outlook, the survey
found. Those from a more affluent background tend to be more religious
but also more liberal in their attitudes towards divorce, abortion and
homosexuality.
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- Commenting on the findings, Frank Field, the former Labour
minister and MP for Birkenhead, said: "Many oldies will be in for
a surprise. Here is a picture of a balanced, questioning younger generation.
Parents, educators, law enforcers and politicians have a lot to learn from
this study."
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- The Values Debate is published by Woburn Press.
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