Abstract
Prior research suggests that religiosity, especially public religious participation, is related to greater volunteerism. However, less is known about religious transmission across the life course, in particular whether and how religiosity in childhood is linked to later life volunteerism. This study investigates a sample of emerging adults in South Texas (n = 701) with a high percent of Hispanic Americans (53 percent). Specifically, we examine pathways of childhood and emerging adulthood religiosity leading to secular volunteerism. Findings indicate that both childhood and emerging adulthood religiosity are associated with greater volunteerism, but the effects of childhood religiosity on emerging adulthood volunteerism are mediated through emerging adulthood religiosity. These findings provide further confirmation of the importance of childhood religiosity only insofar as religiousness persists into adulthood. In other words, we find that it is emerging adulthood religiosity that transmits childhood religiosity into greater secular volunteerism in later life. Furthermore, emerging adulthood public religiosity has the most robust direct effects on volunteerism.
Highlights
This study investigates the relationship between volunteerism and religiosity for a sample of emerging adults in South Texas
The first expectation is derived from emerging adulthood studies, from the psychological process described as “recentering” [1], which implies that childhood religiosity will affect later life volunteerism insofar as childhood religious socialization is internalized as an individualized aspect of emerging adult identity, i.e., private religiosity
We propose that childhood religiosity is indirectly associated with emerging adult volunteerism through emerging adult religiosity
Summary
This study investigates the relationship between volunteerism and religiosity for a sample of emerging adults in South Texas. The first expectation is derived from emerging adulthood studies, from the psychological process described as “recentering” [1], which implies that childhood religiosity will affect later life volunteerism insofar as childhood religious socialization is internalized as an individualized aspect of emerging adult identity, i.e., private religiosity. This expectation is contrary to sociological studies finding forms of social participation are central [2,3], i.e., public religiosity. For our study, emerging adults are operationalized as young adults between the ages of 18 and
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