Religion and Gambling Among Young Adults in the United States: Moral Communities and the Deterrence Hypothesis

Abstract

Despite voluminous research examining religion as an integrative force and a mechanism of social control, relatively few studies have examined the association between religion and proscribed or morally ambiguous behaviors beyond crime and drug use. The present exploratory study examines the role of religion, at both the individual and county levels, in predicting self-reported gambling problems. Hierarchical linear models are employed to examine religion and self-reported gambling problems using the restricted use data of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. A negative association between religious attendance and problem gambling (at the individual level) is strongest when church adherents per capita is relatively high (measured at the county level). However, when the number of conservative Protestants per capita is relatively high, religious attendance (measured at the individual level) is associated with an increased risk of gambling problems. These countervailing findings are interpreted as supportive of the bonding and bridging capital thesis.

The protective role of religiosity against problem gambling: findings from a five-year prospective study

“…Furthermore, those with no religious affiliation (atheist/agnostic), tended to have lower levels of problem gambling severity compared to either Protestant or Catholic groups. This is similar to previous research indicating that Catholics were more likely to have gambled compared to those with no religious affiliation [ 11 , 33 ]. As a potential explanation for the somewhat counterintuitive finding that religious affiliation can be associated with a greater probability of engaging in risky behaviors, findings from a recent study indicated that if a certain behavior is not prohibited by the ethical code of a given religious affiliation (which in the case of gambling is largely variant across denominations), transcendental beliefs might increase perceived control and thus risk taking [ 34 ].…”

Religion and Suicide Acceptability: A Cross-National Analysis

“…In the last 20 years, it has been applied to works in the field of criminology (Baier and White 2001; Stack and Kposowa 2006). According to the moral community thesis, the aggregate level of religion in a group (e.g., neighborhood, city, county, state, or nation) will affect the attitudes and behaviors of individuals in that group (for other recent applications of the moral community hypothesis, see Burdette et al 2009; Desmond, Morgan, and Kikuchi 2010; Eitle 2011). Religious teachings have more of an influence on lone individuals if these teachings are reinforced by those around them in everyday life.…”

Religion and Gambling Among U.S. Adults: Exploring the Role of Traditions, Beliefs, Practices, and Networks*

“…Many religious groups promulgate norms that attempt to guide the behaviors and lifestyle choices of their members, although they differ widely in the content of those norms, as well as their success in eliciting compliance on the part of adherents. A wealth of studies suggest that religious group differences in deviance and social control are most evident when (a) the norms of the religious community are clearly articulated, and (b) the norms diverge from those embraced by the surrounding culture and its institutions (Hoffmann and Bahr 2005; Regnerus 2005; see also Eitle 2011, this issue). In practice, this has often meant those apparent religious effects on delinquency and adult deviance surface most readily with regard to anti‐ascetic behaviors, such as drinking, low‐level drug use, and other “victimless” offenses (Baier and Wright 2001; Tittle and Welch 1983).…”