This page provides some statistcal resources that help teachers and witnesses understand the trends in Techgnology Use so that we can better support Marriages and Families
In many ways our society is more materially prosperous then in prior years
Inequality still remains a serious concern and our Church must still prioritize support and care for the poor. Yet the poverty of our time goes beyond a simple lack of material goods and resources.
Our society has experienced a considerable increase in material prosperity. in 1973 the average square footage of a house was 1,660 feet, in 1990 it grew to 2,080 in our decade it has grown to 2,392. In 1990 mobile phones were uncommon. Now they are everywhere and more sophisticated than the personal computers available when our children were born. In 1990 inflation adjusted GDP was $9.366T in 2018, it increased to $18,638T. While these improvements are beneficial, they have not made our culture content.
People feel more lonely and isolated
These are the findings from an Ipsos poll conducted February 21 – March 6, 2018 on behalf of CIGNA a large health insuranc company. For the survey, a sample of 20,096 adults ages 18 and over from the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii was interviewed online, in English. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of ±0.8 percentage points for all respondents surveyed. Survey results indicated the following:
The Los Angeles Times has run articles documenting a "Loneliness Crisis on College Campuses" and in the City of Los Angeles in general. Kay Hymowitz of City Journal has also documented how the decline of the family has led to a epidemic of loneliness in our nation.
A number of scholars have associated the increase in reliance on technology (mobile phones, social media) with a corresponding decrease in human interaction and relationship that has led to increased lonliness and anxiety. The evidence for this includes the following.
Our faith teaches that human relationship, especially relationships in the family and the Church, play critical roles in helping us to relate to God and as St. Augustine reminds us "O God you made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you." (St. Augustine, the Confessions Chapter 1, Book 1). As parents and leaders in faith communities, our response to the challenge of these times is to foster deeper relationships with Christ who will lead us to a deeper relationship with one another.