What God has Joined Together: Family Formation and Religion among Young Adults

Abstract

This study considers how family transitions influence future religiosity among young adults and demonstrates that both marriage and parenthood can serve to reinforce religious commitment among those who are religiously engaged. Drawing on data from the National Study of Youth and Religion, we look at religious change between Wave 3 (18–24 years old) and Wave 4 (23–28 years old) and how this varies across six family statuses: Married with Children, Married without Children, Cohabiting with Children, Cohabiting without Children, Single with Children and Single without Children. We find greater future religious engagement among married individuals compared to those who are single or cohabiting, regardless of the presence of children. Among single and cohabiting parents, however, the presence of children is associated with greater religious salience, though not with attendance at religious services. The findings demonstrate a continued link between the institutions of family and religion at a time when ties to both institutions are loosening.

Religious trajectories of immigrants in the first years after migration

“…Socialization theory sees the roots of individuals’ religiosity within formative experiences during childhood (Bandura 1977), and, accordingly, assumes little change in individuals’ religiosity once they reached adulthood (Sherkat 1998). But significant life‐course events can initiate a reexamination of individuals’ relation to religion (Denton and Uecker 2018; Schleifer and Chavez 2017; Silverstein and Bengston 2018). One such notable event is the experience of migration.…”

Generational Change in Religion and Religious Practice: A Review Essay

“…Several longitudinal studies have followed the same cohort of adolescents as they matured into their twenties. The most commonly used of these is the National Survey of Youth and Religion, the foundation of numerous books and articles (Smith and Denton 2005; Smith and Snell 2009; Dean 2010; Smith et al 2011; Pearce and Denton 2011; Smith et al 2014; Denton and Culver 2015; Uecker et al 2016; Denton and Uecker 2018; Tong and Yang 2018; Perry and Longest 2019; Denton and Flory 2020). However, several other longitudinal studies have also been initiated by researchers (e.g.…”

“…Millennials have tended to marry and have children at much later ages than earlier generations did (Henderson 2016; Willoughby and James 2017; Earls 2018). Several authors have speculated that this prolonged period of single adulthood in their twenties renders the present young adult generation less likely to resume religious attachments when and if they finally do marry and become parents (Regnerus and Uecker 2006; Denton and Uecker 2018; Barroso et al 2020; Denton and Flory 2020).…”

Explanations for Individual Secularization: Exploring the Effects of Life Course Events on Religious Decline in the Netherlands Between 2009 and 2020

“…An alternative for marriage is cohabitation or living together without being formally married which is very common in the Netherlands, however, at odds with teachings of most religious traditions (Uecker et al 2007). As a result, members of religions may disapprove cohabitation and may induce cohabitators to feel less welcome in a religious community, who may tend to give up on religion (Lundquist Denton and Uecker 2018; Stolzenberg, Blair-Loy, and Waite 1995). Therefore, we expect cohabitation to have a negative effect on religiosity and hypothesize (H5): Between 2009 and 2020 the religiosity of Dutch individuals decreases as a result of starting to cohabite .…”