The Growth of Cremation

It is interesting to read on a number of platforms about

the growth of cremation in the United States and it

leads us to wonder why this method of disposal is more

popular in some areas than others. Here in the UK,

cremation is pretty standard and numbers of

cremations first exceeded those for burials back in

1968. Nowadays the UK cremation rate is around 70%

of all disposals, compared with below 45% in the US.

There are obvious reasons in some cases for high or low

cremation rates. In Sikh, Hindu and Buddhist countries,

cremation rates will be very high. Orthodox Jews and

Muslims are strictly prohibited from practicing

cremation and it is discouraged in some Christian

churches as well, so we see a geographical picture of

high and low rates in some regions which are largely

explained by religious expectations.

However, in a more secular world or where religious

views are less prescriptive, these differences are driven

by other reasons. Culturally, we are most likely to be

influenced by funerals we have seen (even just on TV)

and the traditional scene of mourners gathered around

a coffin and an open grave is a subconscious norm that

we used to expect, but cremation is now infiltrating this

expectation. There is also a relatively new interest in

keeping ashes or scattering them somewhere significant

rather than visiting a grave possibly located far from

home.

Practical considerations may be a factor as well.

Cremations is generally cheaper than burial. Areas with

plenty of space can have burials at a higher rate

whereas city graveyards are often now full. Cremation

is also becoming a greener option than it was, with

increasingly strict rules on emissions and innovations

such as energy and carbon capture.

We have ever more choice but we also have ever more

reasons for choosing and for increasing numbers of

people, cremation is the choice they make.

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