Changes in Religious Communalism Desired by Protestants and Catholics

The data of the 1958 and 1971 Detroit Area Study indicate a substantial decrease in a preference for homogamy by religion. Among those preferring homogamy, the preference for friends of the same faith also declined. The latter change was less among Protestants, who exhibited a lower preference for friends of the same religion (in 1958); but a more marked preference in 1971. The change on both issues was a linear function of birth year: the most recent cohorts evinced the greatest change. This differential change probably resulted, at least in part, from the greater susceptibility of the young to the ecumenical movement. The greatest resistance to change occurred among Protestants with northern farm experience, a group whose future impact on relations between Catholics and Protestants is apt to be slight.