Family Facts: Social Science Research on Family, Society & Religion

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This finding looks at the relationship between family structure and parents’ marital happiness and the religiosity of children when they become adults.

Parents’ marital happiness influenced their children’s religiosity in adulthood. Children whose parents were happily married tended to be more religious later in life. This “religiosity inheritance” was even greater among children who were raised in families with two happily married biological parents. Religiosity in this study was determined with regard to six measures: daily influence of religious beliefs; frequency of reading the Bible; frequency of viewing/listening to religious broadcasts; frequency of engaging in prayer; frequency of participation in church-related activities (other than services); and frequency of church attendance.

Sample or Data Description
The study uses an original national sample of 2,033 married persons in the United States, interviewed in 1980, 1983, 1988, and 1992, and their 468 adult offsprings, interviewed in 1992.

Source
"An Interactive Model of Religiosity Inheritance: The Importance of Family Context"
Myers, Scott M.
American Sociological Review Vol. 61, Number 5. October, 1996. Page(s) 858-866.

FindingID: 7399