General Demographics – 5 miles surrounding Pender UMC
In 10 years, area is expecting moderate growth
We are expecting a significant increase in the number of school age children
We’re expecting more families with children, compared to the state
Our area is significantly better educated than the rest of the state (33% have Bach Deg, 25% have
grad/prof degrees – vs 24% and 13% statewide)
Our area is “very diverse” in terms of race/ethnicity
Our median income is significantly higher than the rest of the state
We have fewer people living in poverty than other areas in the state 4.8% to 8.8% statewide
We are “very white collar” when it comes to jobs (80% have white collar jobs)
Largest racial group is White
Our “level of religiosity” is called “somewhat low” 23% say it’s important to attend religious services
while 15% say their faith is really important to them.
Population from 2000 to 2010 spiked at 18%. Now expected to level off to between 4 and 6 percent
until 2023
We have more married-couple family households (83% vs 72%) than other areas in Virginia. Our
numbers of single-mother households is significantly lower than other areas. We’re on par with singlefather households statewide. That trend will remain stable in future.
Avg age of population in 2010 was 33, in 2023 it will be 38. Numbers of children will increase too.
Specifically on religion:
Beliefs about God – Very Traditional
Beliefs about Jesus – Somewhat non-Traditional
Beliefs about social/moral issues (abortion, taxes, gay marriage, social justice) – Mixed
Presences of “Nones” (no religious affiliation) – Average
Has religious preference changed in last 10 years? – About same
Christian vs. non-Christian – somewhat more Christian
Significance of Faith-to-Life – Somewhat more significant
Life concerns (money, families, work, stress, health, etc) – Average
Media preference --- Very Online Oriented
Growth areas by religious preference (past 10 years) – None +2.8%, Non-denom +2.4%, “Spiritual +2.3%
Decline areas by religious preference (past 10 years) – Catholic -3.1%, Lutheran -1.2% Baptist -0.7%
Methodist -0.5%
Actively involved in church community – 46.5%, 8.2% decline over past 10 years
Percent of people likely to become active – 7.2%
Percent of people likely to cease activity – 15.5%
Probable reasons for non-participation in religious congregation
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No time/less time available 43.5%
No good faith community in area 29.9%
Moved from community 28.8%
Demands of raising children 27.1%
Personal faith (of those not participating in a religious life)
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Not relevant to my life 49.8%
Unsure about personal beliefs 40.5%
No longer believe in God 35.2%
Don’t believe in God 37.1%
Opinions about church (of those not participating in a religious life)
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Religious people too judgmental – 68.8%
Religion too focused on money – 67.2%
Don’t trust religious leaders – 64.5%
Don’t trust organized religion – 62.8%
Disillusionment with religion – 57.2%
Strict/inflexible beliefs – 56.5%
Boring/uninteresting 45.5%
Conflicts in religious community – 43.6%
Didn’t feel welcome/useful – 42.7%
Worship/music style – 40.5%
Not current/old-fashioned – 34.0%
Never been invited – 20.6%
People and their “significant” concerns:
Personal life
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Weight loss
Personal health problems
Losing job
Depression
Home and Family
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Stress/time to relax
Caring for aging parents
Health crisis/illness
Balancing work and family
Time for friends/family
Community
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Illegal immigration
Career and financial
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Future/savings/retirement
Day-to-day financial matters
Satisfying job/career
Reaching my goals/being successful
Future hopes and possibilities
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Fear of the future/unknown
Finding personal direction/making right choices
Fulfilling marriage/romance/intimacy
Spiritual issues/religions (very low)
What we want:
Generally:
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Family-oriented activities (very high)
Opportunities for volunteering in the community
Holiday programs/activities
Youth social activities
Adult social activities
Seniors/retirees activities
Involvement in social causes
Marriage enrichment
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Cultural programs
Personal/family counseling
Parenting development
Crisis Support Groups
Social justice advocacy work
Religious:
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Traditional worship services
Bible or scripture studies
Christian education for children
Contemporary worship services
Small groups
Where we get our information:
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Local TV News
National TV News
Radio
Facebook
Email letters
Online News
Print Media
Public TV/Radio