Exploring the Impact of Religiosity on Existential Anxiety and Hope among Young Adults

Abstract

The present study seeks to assess the level of religiosity among young adult and its impact on their level of hope and existential anxiety. A sample of 163 young Adults between the age group of 18-25 made up the sample. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used keeping in mind the study’s inclusive requirements. The study investigated existential anxiety using the Existential Anxiety Questionnaire by Weems et al. (2004). The religiosity levels were assessed using The Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRS) developed by Huber et al. (2012) 15 item self-reported scale. Hope among young adults were measured using the Adult Hope Scale by Snyder et al. (1991) is a 12-item scale. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, Spearman’s correlation coefficient, and linear regression were done using SPSS 21. The results indicated that there is a weak but negative correlation between religiosity and existential anxiety. In contrast, there is a large positive association between religiosity and hope levels. According to the regression analysis, religiosity has a weak but significant predictive strength for existential anxiety. However, results showed a noteworthy impact of religiosity on Hope levels. Therefore, religiosity is an important influence on the level of hope and existential anxiety among young adults.