October 28, 2002

Poll: Religious teens better behaved
___WASINGTON (RNS)--Teenagers who attend church, have strong religious beliefs and participate in church-sponsored youth activities are more likely than their less-religious peers to avoid risky behavior, according to a new study.
___The report, released in late September by the National Study of Youth and Religion, studied U.S. 12th graders and found a strong correlation between religion and avoiding delinquent activity.
___"The report demonstrates that religion among U.S. 12th graders is positively related to participation in constructive youth activities," said the study's principal investigator, Christian Smith.
___Smith, a professor and associate chair of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where the study was based, and his researchers examined data from Monitoring the Future, a national survey of U.S. high school students.
___Religious seniors, the study found, are less likely to "use, sell or be offered drugs." While 61.3 percent of non-churchgoing 12th graders reported using illegal drugs in the previous year, only 38.5 percent of those who attend church frequently said they had.
___Tobacco and alcohol use was lower among religious teens as well. Only 11.9 percent of frequent churchgoers said they used cigarettes, while almost three times as many of their non-churchgoing peers smoke regularly. Half of those who rated religion as "very important" had never been drunk, compared to 30.5 percent of those who said religion is not important to them.
___In addition, the study reports, religious teens:
___Are safer behind the wheel.
___Are less attracted to danger and risky situations.
___Are less prone to violence and criminal behavior.
___Have less trouble in school and with their parents.
___Are more involved in sports, community activities and volunteer work.
___While the researchers said there is a strong link between religion and positive, healthy behavior in teens, it is difficult, they wrote, to "determine the direction of cause and effect between religion and risk behaviors and social activities."
___Possible factors in the link might be the influence of religion itself or that some families are predisposed to avoid risky behavior and engage in religious activities.

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