Does Religion Influence People’s Behaviour in deciding to attend a Christian-based Higher Level Educational Institution? The Psychology of Secular-Culturalization on People’s Behaviour

Abstract

In keeping with its Christian (or biblical) worldview, Christian-based universities are equally concerned about the quality of its graduands as well as a Christ-centered education that should inspire them to become servants of Jesus Christ. With the mandate of Christian-based universities, the institutions are held accountable to this position. This means that religious affiliation of its student-population must be examined to provide feedback on the institution’s progress in attaining its mission. The importance of its mission is such that data is the centre this purpose, which explains this study that is an analysis of students’ enrolment at the Christian-based university in Manchester by religious affiliation dating back to 1994. The purpose of this study is simply to provide empirical evidence for future decision-making and be the bedrock for assessing the institution’s progress in its mission attainment. Time series data for 1994-2017 were used for this study. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses were used to establish model and provide pertinent information on the studied issues. Over the last 24 years, student enrolment at the Christian-based university in Manchester revealed that generally more non-Seventh-day Adventist (non-SDA) Jamaicans have been affected to the institution compared to those of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) faith. In fact, over the studied period, only on three occasions (2002-to-2004) that the SDA student population exceeded that of the non-SDA student population (Figure 1). In 2010 and 2015, the percentage points of the student population as it relates to SDA and non-SDA were almost the same. Religious people are more resistance to a Christian-based college education than non-religious people. This suggests that there is embedded psychology of secular-culturalization on religious people’s behaviour irrespective of their Christian-based worldview.