Effects of Parental Church Attendance, Current Family Status, and Religious Salience on Church Attendance

Abstract

Using data from the General Social Survey we find that when predicting respondent's church attendance, salience of religion is more important than parental attendance, marriage, or children. The findings are a result of an analysis of church attendance beginning with parental attendance, then adding marriage and children, and finally adding salience. Our conclusion is that church attendance is more a function of current social location than social history. Theoretically and practically. the conclusion is that churches would do better trying to recruit friends of parishioners rather than children of loyal members.