Religiosity and Religious Participation Among Hispanic Elderly

ABSTRACT Religious faith and practices in old age have received increased attention as important in understanding more fully the well-being of older persons as well as their coping resources. This article explores the roles that religious faith and religious practices play in the lives of the Hispanic elderly. More specifically, it investigates public and private practices of religious faith and their perceived usefulness to this ethnic minority population. A survey of 178 older Hispanics suggests that indeed this population is quite religious in its self-perceptions and its reported beliefs and behaviors.