Family and religion in flux: Relationship complexity, type of religiosity, and race/ethnicity

Objective

This study examines the links between family formation, relationship history, and multiple types of religiosity in early–middle adulthood, as well as racial/ethnic heterogeneity of these associations.

Background

Family and religion have long been recognized as linked institutions. However, rapid changes in both institutions in recent decades necessitate a reexamination of this link. We know little about how this association varies by past versus present relationship experience, institutional versus private types of religiosity, or racial/ethnic group.

Methods

Logistic regression models predicting religious attendance, importance of faith, and prayer frequency were estimated using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Models included measures of both contemporaneous union and parenthood status and past relationship experiences. Additional analyses tested these associations separately for White, Black, and Hispanic respondents.

Results

Parenthood is consistently linked to higher, and cohabitation lower, religiosity. Respondents with more sexual partners tend to be less religious, while those with past marriages/divorces are more religious. Associations are stronger for attendance than faith or prayer, and more pronounced among White than Black or Hispanic respondents.

Conclusion

The link between religion and family remains in evidence, but may have become more tenuous due to the delay and complexification of family formation. This link is strongest for White Americans and with respect to institutional rather than private religiosity.