Unpacking Variation in Teenagers’ Attitudes across Religious Affiliation

• In Event: Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Topic - Moral Development

Abstract

Introduction. Prior research has reported differences across religious affiliation on a number of youth outcomes (Smith & Denton, 2005). However, little is known about why such differences exist. The goal of this study was to understand variation in teenagers’ attitudes across religious affiliation, specifically attitudes about sexual behavior, racial equality, moral relativism, and moral judgment. We examined whether religious affiliation differences in teenagers’ attitudes could be accounted for by differences in religious commitment.
Method. We used the data from the first wave of the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR: Smith & Denton, 2005), which is a nationally representative sample of 3,192 youth (ages 13-17; M age = 15). Religious affiliation was coded as Evangelical Protestant (31%), Black Protestant (12%), Mainline Protestant (10%), Catholic (24%), Jewish (3%), Latter-day Saint (2%), and None (12%). The remaining 6% did not fit into these categories and thus were not included in the analyses. We ran two models for each attitude variable, an ANOVA and ANCOVA, to which we added religious attendance and religious salience as covariates.
Results. First, sexual attitudes varied across religious affiliation, ANOVA, F(6, 3113) = 52.13, p < .001, R2 = .09. Further, F-test for the R-square change when adding the covariates was significant, F(2, 3110) = 114.78, p <.001, Δ R2 = .10. Second, racial equality attitudes varied significantly across religious affiliation, F(6, 3155) = 8.32, p < .001, R2 = .02. Additionally, the F-test for the R-square change upon adding the covariates was significant, F(2, 3152) = 10.58, p <.001, Δ R2 = .01. Third, moral relativism attitudes varied across religious affiliation, F(6, 3142) = 37.27, p < .001, R2 = .07. The F-test for the R-square change after adding the covariates was also significant, F(2, 3139) = 32.35, p <.001, Δ R2 = .03. Fourth, moral judgment attitudes did not vary significantly across religious affiliation, F(6, 3192) = 0.67, p = .67, R2 = .0013.
Discussion. We found variation across religious affiliation in teenagers’ attitudes regarding sexual behavior, racial equality, and moral relativism, but not moral judgment. Further, this variation in sexual attitudes, racial equality attitudes, and moral relativism attitudes was partially accounted for by variation in religious commitment. Specifically, religious affiliations with more conservative sexual attitudes that were lower on moral relativism were also more religiously committed. The pattern for racial equality attitudes was more complex.

Authors

• Jocelyn Cazier, Brigham Young University
  Presenting Author

• Sam A Hardy, Brigham Young University
  Non-Presenting Author