Youth and Religion: The Gameboy Generation Goes to ``Church''

Abstract

Using the secularization theory and the Marxist notion of religion as masking class conscience one would expect the importance of religion and religious involvement today to wane and be limited to lower class members. To challenge this expectation, using a representative national telephone survey of 2004 youth (ages 11-18) and their parents, we attempt to answer the following two questions: How religious are teenagers, and what may explain variation in religious perception and involvement among teens. Findings suggest that religion remains perceived as very important by most teenagers and parents report that about two-thirds of teenagers attended a place of worship at least monthly and that two out of five attended a social group sponsored by a religious organization. These findings do not support the secularization theory. As expected, parental attendance of religious worship, teen's age, and teen's ethnicity and gender were significantly associated with three variables of religious behavior and attendance. In contrast to the Marxist notion of religion, measures of socio-economic status indicate that, in the contemporary United States, religious participation, but not beliefs, is largely the domain of the middle-upper classes. Disciplines ABSTRACTUsing the secularization theory and the Marxist notion of religion as masking class conscience one would expect the importance of religion and religious involvement today to wane and be limited to lower class members. To challenge this expectation, using a representative national telephone survey of 2004 youth (ages 11-18) and their parents, we attempt to answer the following two questions: How religious are teenagers, and what may explain variation in religious perception and involvement among teens. Findings suggest that religion remains perceived as very important by most teenagers and parents report that about two-thirds of teenagers attended a place of worship at least monthly and that two out of five attended a social group sponsored by a religious organization. These findings do not support the secularization theory. As expected, parental attendance of religious worship, teen's age, and teen's ethnicity and gender were significantly associated with three variables of religious behavior and attendance. In contrast to the Marxist notion of religion, measures of socio-economic status indicate that, in the contemporary United States, religious participation, but not beliefs, is largely the domain of the middle-upper classes.

Adolescent risk behaviors and religion: Findings from a national study

“…When this activity was expanded to include any type of church-related activity that is not worship such as Sunday school, the proportion grew to seven in ten. Cnaan, Gelles, & Sinha (2004) found a similar proportion of youth (two-fifths or 41.2%) reported being members of a religious-based youth group (ranging from Sunday school to youth ministry).…”

“…However, it is equally plausible that risk-averse youth seek religious settings while risk seekers avoid religious involvement (Cochran, Wood, Arneklev, 1994). A final possible explanation is that youth who value religion as important and are active with religious congregations have parents who supervise them more closely and encourage them to get involved with organized religion and thus contribute to their decreased risk activity (Cnaan, Gelles, & Sinha, 2004). Furthermore, parents' own religiosity was found to be strongly and positively correlated with reduced risk of adolescents involvement in criminal activities and risk behaviors (Pearce & Haynie, 2001) suggesting that the parents have an important role in helping their children avoid risk behaviors.…”

Religion and Youth

“…When it comes to the religious socialization of youth, we most often think of parents and peers. Studies repeatedly find parents to be the most important religious influence in the lives of youth (e.g., Cnaan et al, 2004;Pearce and Denton, 2011;Smith and Denton, 2005;Spilka et al, 1985). And there is considerable research identifying the impact of peers on religious commitments (Desmond et al, 2010;Gunnoe and Moore, 2002;Regnerus et al, 2004).…”

A Critical Review of Trauma Interventions and Religion Among Youth Exposed to Community Violence

“…Surveys of African American and Latino adults and adolescents have documented a more frequent use of spiritual beliefs and practices and participation in organized religious communities compared with their White counterparts (BryantDavis, 2005;Cnaan, Gelles, & Sinha, 2004;Sinha et al, 2007). Additionally, research and practice affirm that minority cultures value spirituality as a primary resource, more frequently ascribe to a spiritual worldview, and view religious communities as a hub of social services provision (Christian & Barbarin, 2001;Jones, 2007;Taylor, Chatters, & Levin, 2004).…”