Adolescents’ Buddhist belief in correlation with demographic factors: An exploratory sequential mixed method research

Abstract

ABSTRACT Belief is an essential component forming the Buddhist education process, and it could encourage learners to practise harder. Examining it in all aspects covering its association with demographic factors but not just with the practice likely helps design a thorough curriculum. As a result, this paper aims for exploring which ones among the demographic characteristics such as age, education, gender and family linked to adolescents’ belief in Buddhism and how they connected with it. By adopting an exploratory sequential mixed methods approach for surveying 140 teenagers aged 12–18 attending every Sunday retreats at three Zen monasteries, the study demonstrated that their Buddhist belief positively correlated with age and education but negatively associated with the family.