A study conducted at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill found religious teenagers are less likely than their nonreligious peers to be involved in high-risk behaviors such as smoking and drinking alcohol.
The National Study of Youth and Religion, funded by the Lily Endowment, concluded that young people who regularly attend religious services, have a high regard for personal faith and are involved long term in faith-based youth groups generally lead safer and healthier lives.
The researchers found, among other things, that:
- High school seniors who are religious get fewer traffic tickets and are less likely to get in trouble with police than less religious seniors.
- Adolescent students who are religious tend to be better behaved and are less likely than others to receive a detention, skip school, be suspended or expelled.
- Seniors with religious faith are more apt to participate in community volunteer work and student government.
- Religious seniors tend to be more involved in sports and exercise than less religious students.
The study also found that parents of religious students are, on average, stricter than parents of nonreligious students, and their children are less likely to argue with them.
With regard to how children interact with their parents, researchers accounted for such factors as race, age, sex, educational levels of parents, number of siblings, whether the mother works and the presence of a father or male authority figure in the household.
The researchers said the relationship between religion and reduced high-risk behaviors is hard to determine. Also, a religious atmosphere may influence young people to reduce risky behaviors, or youth and families who already tend to avoid risky behaviors might merely choose to become more involved in religious activities.
The researchers said some religious students who become involved in high-risk behaviors reduce their involvement in religious activities, and were counted as less religious on the survey.
The study concluded that religious teenagers are involved in fewer negative behaviors and embrace more positive behaviors than do less religious youth.
A national survey of SBC members found almost 90 percent of them have made a profession of faith in Christ, many by the age of 12.
Phil Jones, director of research for the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board, said, “Beyond age 12, the percentage of conversions steadily decreases. This shows the importance of nurturing children in the faith.” (EP)
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