Research Note: Religious Participation and Parental Moral Expectations and Supervision of American Youth

Abstract

A large body of empirical studies shows that religion often serves as a factor promoting positive, healthy behaviors and outcomes in the lives of American adolescents. This research note reports findings of one test of a moral order explanation of these religious effects. I use the national Survey of Parents and Youth (1998-99) data (N=1,073) to examine the relationship between parental religious participation and measures of parental moral expectations and supervision of youth ages 10 to 18. The findings support the hypothesis that parental religious participation increases parental moral expectations and supervision of their adolescent children.