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 Were 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 its 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. Were on par with single- father 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 o No time/less time available 43.5% o No good faith community in area 29.9% o Moved from community 28.8% o Demands of raising children 27.1% Personal faith (of those not participating in a religious life) Not relevant to my life 49.8% Unsure about personal beliefs 40.5% No longer believe in God 35.2% Dont believe in God 37.1% Opinions about church (of those not participating in a religious life) Religious people too judgmental 68.8% Religion too focused on money 67.2% Dont trust religious leaders 64.5% Dont 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% Didnt 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 Weight loss Personal health problems Losing job Depression Home and Family Stress/time to relax Caring for aging parents Health crisis/illness Balancing work and family Time for friends/family Community Illegal immigration Career and financial Future/savings/retirement Day-to-day financial matters Satisfying job/career Reaching my goals/being successful Future hopes and possibilities Fear of the future/unknown Finding personal direction/making right choices Fulfilling marriage/romance/intimacy Spiritual issues/religions (very low) What we want: Generally: 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 Cultural programs Personal/family counseling Parenting development Crisis Support Groups Social justice advocacy work Religious: Traditional worship services Bible or scripture studies Christian education for children Contemporary worship services Small groups Where we get our information: Local TV News National TV News Radio Facebook Email letters Online News Print Media Public TV/Radio