Christian universities as moral communities: Drinking, sex, and drug use among university students in the United States

Abstract

ABSTRACT We examine the effects of religious educational context, Christian fundamentalist beliefs and religiosity on alcohol use, sexual activity, and illegal drug use. Respondents are 3610 university students at six public state schools and six private schools, three of which are affiliated with conservative Christian denominations. Data were gathered from 2010–2013 and done via face-to-face distribution and collection of response. Religious context – enrollment and study at a Christian school – has the strongest negative association with deviant behavior. Religiosity is less important, and Christian fundamentalist beliefs are very weakly associated. Results support the idea of Moral Communities in which place, practices and beliefs strongly discourage deviant behavior among respondents in an explicitly religious academic environment.