Study: Religious Teens Less Troublesome
Especially Religious Youths Less Likely To Drink, Smoke
POSTED: 3:26 p.m. EDT September 18, 2002
Want to keep your teens out of trouble? Bringing them to church or temple might do the trick, according to a new study.
U.S. teenagers who say they engage in regular religious practices are significantly less likely than their peers to get into legal and other troubles, a new study from researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found.
However, the reports of better behavior were only found among teens who went to religious services at least once a week, or who professed deeply held spiritual views, said study director Dr. Christian Smith.
"We found that kids who go to church regularly or who say that religion is important in their lives are much less likely to be involved in various forms of substance abuse, get into trouble, commit crimes, are less involved in violence, have school problems and have difficulties with their parents," said Smith, professor of sociology at the university. "They are more likely to behave safely, try to stay healthy and be involved in volunteering, sports and other community activities.
"In the past, people who study adolescents have often neglected or completely ignored the religious factor in teenagers' lives," Smith said.
Some social science investigators have even assumed that religion had no effect or had a destructive influence on teens, he said.
"One of the most interesting observations is that the religious correlation doesn't seem to kick in until it reaches the level of the most religious kids," Smith said. "That suggests a threshold below which there's little or no association."
The researchers studied data gathered through Monitoring the Future, a nationally representative University of Michigan survey of 2,478 high school seniors.
Among specific findings were that especially religious youths were less likely to smoke, drink and use drugs and more likely to start later and use less if they started at all, he said. They went to bars less often, received fewer traffic tickets, wore seat belts more, took fewer risks and fought less frequently. Shoplifting, other thefts, trespassing and arson also were rarer.
"Religious 12th-graders argued with parents less, skipped school less, exercised more, participated more in student government and faced fewer detentions, suspensions and expulsions," Smith said.
Smith said the study lacks explanation about whether the good behavior caused the religious feelings or vise versa.
"It could also be that kids who are initially religious and start getting into trouble drop out of religion because it feels uncomfortable for them," he said. "Then when someone takes a survey, those teens show up as being not very religious, and so there is an apparent association."
Lilly Endowment Inc. is funding the four-year study, which began in 2001. Among the researchers' goals are to identify effective practices in the religious, moral and social formation in young people's lives and to foster informed national discussions about the influence of religion on adolescents.
U.S. teenagers who say they engage in regular religious practices are significantly less likely than their peers to get into legal and other troubles, a new study from researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found.
However, the reports of better behavior were only found among teens who went to religious services at least once a week, or who professed deeply held spiritual views, said study director Dr. Christian Smith.
"We found that kids who go to church regularly or who say that religion is important in their lives are much less likely to be involved in various forms of substance abuse, get into trouble, commit crimes, are less involved in violence, have school problems and have difficulties with their parents," said Smith, professor of sociology at the university. "They are more likely to behave safely, try to stay healthy and be involved in volunteering, sports and other community activities.
"In the past, people who study adolescents have often neglected or completely ignored the religious factor in teenagers' lives," Smith said.
Some social science investigators have even assumed that religion had no effect or had a destructive influence on teens, he said.
"One of the most interesting observations is that the religious correlation doesn't seem to kick in until it reaches the level of the most religious kids," Smith said. "That suggests a threshold below which there's little or no association."
The researchers studied data gathered through Monitoring the Future, a nationally representative University of Michigan survey of 2,478 high school seniors.
Among specific findings were that especially religious youths were less likely to smoke, drink and use drugs and more likely to start later and use less if they started at all, he said. They went to bars less often, received fewer traffic tickets, wore seat belts more, took fewer risks and fought less frequently. Shoplifting, other thefts, trespassing and arson also were rarer.
"Religious 12th-graders argued with parents less, skipped school less, exercised more, participated more in student government and faced fewer detentions, suspensions and expulsions," Smith said.
Smith said the study lacks explanation about whether the good behavior caused the religious feelings or vise versa.
"It could also be that kids who are initially religious and start getting into trouble drop out of religion because it feels uncomfortable for them," he said. "Then when someone takes a survey, those teens show up as being not very religious, and so there is an apparent association."
Lilly Endowment Inc. is funding the four-year study, which began in 2001. Among the researchers' goals are to identify effective practices in the religious, moral and social formation in young people's lives and to foster informed national discussions about the influence of religion on adolescents.
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