The Demographic Shift
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2. The Twelve Tribes in the Population 
Michael Adams, in his ground-breaking book "Sex in the Snow - Canadian Social Values at the End of the Millennium", identifies twelve "Tribes" in the Canadian population and their characteristics. There are three broad categories according to most analysts: The Elders, The Boomers and the Generation X - ers. These are defined by the different characteristics of the people in each group.
Canadian Values
The Boomers are extremely influential because of the very large numbers (about 10 million people) in this group. Television commercials are aimed at the Boomers and the size of the educational system was determined by them. These three groupings are broken out into twelve Tribal Groups. As I reflected on the characteristics of each tribe, I could not help but think about various friends and acquaintances who fit the model of each Tribe. I believe the author has correctly identified these twelve Tribes in the Canadian population.
Elders, Baby Boomers and Generation X-ers
There are three tribes of Elders, four tribes of Baby Boomers and five tribes of Generation X-ers. These tribal groups prove that we are not as individualistic as we would like to think we are. Of the three "Elder" tribes presently over fifty-three years of age, two are described as "religious" and "supportive of the institution of the church". These are currently the leaders, power holders and financial supports of the Anglican Church in the Diocese of Toronto. The third tribe, called "Cosmopolitan Modernists" do not have the characteristic of "religiosity". Not a single one of the nine other tribes has religious characteristics or supports the religious institution.
Religious Institutions
The average Anglican congregation is made up of predominantly "Elders" supportive of the religious institutions. There are so few people in our churches between fifteen and fifty-one years of age because support of church is not a characteristic of Boomers and Generation X-ers. They are not religious in the same way as their parents and grandparents were. We have instinctively felt this for a long time but are now discovering statistics that support this hunch. The four Baby Boomer Tribes now occupy most of the good jobs in Canada and will soon be moving into the top positions of power. One Boomers Tribe, called "Disengaged Darwinists", are strong in Metro Toronto, particularly amongst men and blue collar workers. Their key values of "fear" and "nostalgia for the past" would encourage us to develop a few historical churches. Comfort for their fears could be our theme. They might come looking for history but this alone will not support a church building.
U.S. Strength and Canadian Weakness
Unlike the U.S. where faith in institutions has remained high and attendance at church is still about 40%, Canadians who were once more religious, are now markedly less so. Canadian church institutions will be frowned upon in the future, and be given less acknowledgment and power. When the Church speaks, the media will no longer say, "So what!" but "Be quiet!"
A Secular Environment
I believe the chances of the characteristics of either the Boomers or Generation X-ers changing are unlikely at best. They will not alter as they get older - their values are fixed. This is not all bad, however. Michael Adams writes, "I believe, beyond doubt, that we can live quite happily in a secular world. But that is not to say a world without meaning." The Boomers have a high regard for family, freedom, individuality and community but also unfortunately lower ethical values with a decrease in such basics as truth and sexual morality. Key phrases of the Boomers are:
- "I did it my way",
- "Our children are our future",
- "Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we may.....".
Christmas Tree Demographics
It is very significant that the characteristics described in the twelve Tribes are also supported by the Age/Sex profiles I have produced for Anglican parishes over recent years. These profiles were from many different kinds of churches, large and small, rural and suburban, modern and historical, BCP and BAS, High Church, Evangelical and Liberal, etc. Over and over again the Parish Profile was "Top Heavy", i.e. with a high percentage of persons over fifty. I give you three examples:
In contrast, the general population profile for Canada, Ontario and Toronto is "Christmas Tree" shaped. Only at Easter and Christmas in our surveys did the cross-section of a congregation begin to match its population profile.
"2018 : The Demographic Shift"
