Does Church Attendance Really Increase Schooling?

Abstract

This article shows that religiosity during adolescence has a significant effect on total number of years of schooling attained. It differs from previous research by focusing on church attendance rather than on denomination and by controlling more completely for the effects of omitted-variables bias. Any estimated correlation between church attendance and schooling without such controls may reflect unmeasured family, community, and individual characteristics. The size of the effect for individuals who attended church 52 weeks per year compared to individuals who do not attend at all is equivalent to over three years of parents' schooling. This finding implies that changes in church attendance, either due to exogenous changes in attitudes or as an indirect effect of government or other institutional activity, may have large spill-over effects on socioeconomic variables.

The reproduction of intelligence

“…However, religion is also associated with more education, which reduces female fertility. A positive effect of religious attendance during adolescence on education has been documented before (Loury, 2004). In the NLSY the correlation of educational attainment is .167 with religious attendance in 1979/82 but only .134 with religious attendance in 2000 (N = 7537).…”

Influence of Maternal Denomination, God Concepts, and Child‐Rearing Practices on Young Children's God Concepts

“…In addition, we will control for (maternal) education, which has been found to be related to child-rearing practices (Deković 1991;Rispens, Hermans, and Meeus 1996) and aspects of religion (Alwin and Jackson 1982;Keysar and Kosmin 1995;Lehrer 1999;Loury 2004).…”

Specifying the Effects of Religious Participation and Educational Attainment on Mortality Risk for U.S. Adults

“…Further, other studies have shown that religious service attendance is positively associated with school completion and educational attainment among adolescents and young adults (Beyerlein 2004;Evans et al 1992;Loury 2004;Muller and Ellison 2001;Ribar 1994). Yet, investigations focusing on the educational attainment of sectarian Protestants and people subscribing to fundamentalist beliefs in scriptural inerrancy consistently show that these groups take a hostile stance towards education (Deckman 2004;Sikkink 1999), and have lower rates of educational attainment (Darnell and Sherkat 1997;Fitzgerald and Glass, 2008;Glass and Jacobs 2005;Lehrer 1999;Sherkat and Darnell 1999;).…”