Portraits of Protestant Teens: A Report on Teenagers in Major U.S. Denominations

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Portraits of Protestant Teens: A Report onTeenagers in Major U.S. DenominationsPhilip SchwadelUniversity of Nebraska - Lincoln, [email protected]

Christian SmithUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Portraits of Protestant Teens:A Report on Teenagers in

Major U.S. Denominations

by Phil Schwadel

andChristian Smith

The National Study of Youth and Religion, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc.and under the direction of Dr. Christian Smith, professor in the Department ofSociology, is based at the Odum Institute for Research in Social Science atThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The purpose of the project isto research the shape and influence of religion and spirituality in the lives of

U.S. adolescents; to identify effective practices in the religious, moral, and social formation of the lives ofyouth; to describe the extent to which youth participate in and benefit from the programs and opportunitiesthat religious communities are offering to their youth; and to foster an informed national discussion about theinfluence of religion in youth's lives, in order to encourage sustained reflection about and rethinking of ourcultural and institutional practices with regard to youth and religion.

Portraits of Protestant Teens: A Report on Teenagers in Major U.S. Denominationsby Phil Schwadel and Christian Smith

About the Authors — Philip Schwadel, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral researcher with the National Study of Youthand Religion. Christian Smith is Stuart Chapin Distinguished Professor and associate chair of sociology at theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Cover Design: Alison Duncan, Durham, NCInterior Design: Roxann L. Miller

Editors: Roxann L. MillerMelinda L. Denton

Copyeditors: Marjorie Hudson, Pittsboro, NCAdam Long, Durham, NC

© 2005 by the National Study of Youth and ReligionAll rights reserved.

Additional copies of this report are available for $7.00. Please make checks payable to the Odum Institute and mail to:National Study of Youth and ReligionThe University of North Carolina at Chapel HillCB# 3057Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3057

Website: www.youthandreligion.orgEmail: [email protected]

http://www.youthandreligion.org

Portraits of Protestant Teens: A Report on Teenagers in Major U.S. Denominations 3

Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

NOTE ON DATA AND METHODS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

RELIGIOUS PARTICIPATIONChurch Attendance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Religious Youth Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Sunday School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Religious Camps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Religious Youth Retreats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Religious Music Group or Choir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

RELIGIOUS BELIEFSBelief in God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Unsure About Belief in God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Views of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Closeness to God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Belief in the Afterlife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Belief in Angels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Belief in Miracles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Belief in Judgment Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

FAITH, PRACTICES, AND EXPERIENCESImportance of Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Committed to Live Life for God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Reading the Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Prayer with Parents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Prayer Answered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Powerful Experience of Spiritual Worship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

SHARING FAITHReligious Group at School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Express Religious Beliefs at School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Family Talks About Religious Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Publicly Spoken About Faith in Religious Service or Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Shared Faith with Person not of their Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

4 National Study of Youth and Religion

EVALUATIONS OF CHURCHChurch Is Usually Warm and Welcoming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Church Is Usually Boring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Church Usually Makes Teen Think About Important Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Church Is a Very Good Place to Talk About Serious Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Adults in Teen’s Church Are Somewhat or Very

Easy to Talk with and Get to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Adults in Congregation are Hypocrites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Teens in Congregation are Hypocrites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Opportunities for Teen Involvement in Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Would Attend Same Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Parent’s View that Church Has Been Very or

Extremely Helpful in Raising their Teen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Parent’s View that Ministry to Teens Is a

Very Important Priority in their Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

MORAL VIEWS AND RISK BEHAVIORSMoral Relativism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Confusion over Right and Wrong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Sexual Abstinence before Marriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Sexual Intercourse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Cheating in School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Lying to Parents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Drinking Alcohol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Smoking Cigarettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Using Marijuana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

CIVIC ACTIVITIESVolunteering and Community Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Helping Needy People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Political Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Appendix A: Religious Traditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Appendix B: Demographic Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Executive SummaryThis report examines the religious beliefs and practices of American Protestantteenagers using new, nationally representative survey data from the NationalStudy of Youth and Religion (NSYR). The NSYR is a major study of the religiousand spiritual lives of contemporary American teens, which recently produced abook on its major findings entitled, Soul Searching: the Religious and SpiritualLives of American Teenagers (by Christian Smith with Melinda Lundquist Denton,Oxford University Press, 2005). In addition to broadly describing the religiousoutlook of Protestant teenagers today — and as a more detailed, descriptive follow-up to that book — this report highlights several positive and negativeexperiences and evaluations of teenagers in different Protestant denominationsand groupings of denominations. In brief, this report presents the following find-ings in these areas of interest:

♦ Religious Participation: Protestant teenagers are relatively active in religiousorganizations and activities, both within and beyond their churches. Aboutone-half of all Protestant teens attend church weekly, participate in Sundayschool or in a religious youth group, pray and attend a religious summercamp or retreat, though less than one-third read the Bible each week. Thisalso means, however, that substantial numbers of Protestant teens are notactively participating in their religious traditions. Teens from conservativedenominations such as Southern Baptist Convention and Assemblies of Godare especially likely to regularly attend church and participate in other religious activities.

♦ Theological Beliefs: Protestant teenagers are likely to hold many traditionalChristian religious beliefs. The majority of Protestant teens say they believein God, the afterlife, angels, demons, miracles, judgment day and they viewGod as a personal being involved in the lives of people today. Sizable num-bers of Protestant teens, on the other hand, do not hold these traditional



Christian religious beliefs. Teens from conservative and black Protestantdenominations are more likely than mainline Protestant teens to hold these religious beliefs.

♦ Importance of Faith: The majority of Protestant teenagers report that their reli-gious faith is very important in their lives. Most of them also say that their fami-lies talk about religion together, that they have shared their faith with someonenot of their faith and that they have had a powerful worship experience. Alarge minority of all Protestant teenagers, and in the case of some denomina-tions a majority of teenagers, do not report that religious faith is very importantin their lives. Teens from conservative and black Protestant denominations areparticularly likely to report that faith is important in their lives.

♦ Evaluations of Churches: The majority of Protestant teenagers express relativelypositive views of their churches and fellow church members. They typicallyreport that they would continue to attend church if it were totally up to them,

that they would attend a similar church if given the choice and thattheir current church is generally warm and welcoming. Protestantadolescents, however, do have some reservations about and problemswith their churches and fellow church attendees, as spelled out in thefollowing pages, particularly with other teenage attendees.

The majority of Protestant

teenagers express relatively positive

views of theirchurches and fellow church

members.


IntroductionThis report shows that religion appears to be a significant aspect of many U.S.Protestant teenagers’ lives, and that teenagers in different religious traditions in theUnited States reflect different levels of religiosity in their lives. These include differ-ences between teens whose parents are affiliated with conservative, mainline, andblack Protestant denominational families; differences between teens from diverse,specific Protestant denominations; and differences between Protestant teenagersand all U.S. teenagers. The goal of this report is to follow up on abook recently published on NSYR findings, Soul Searching: theReligious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, in order to helpdenominational and congregational leaders and religion scholarsand observers better understand the religious situations of Protestantadolescents in the United States. Among other outcomes, we hopethis information will provide insights into what Protestant religiouscommunities might do to improve their work with adolescents.

Religious ParticipationMany, but not all, Protestant teenagers are quite active in churchand in other religious activities: ♦ Sixty-five percent of Protestant teens report attending church at

least once a month. ♦ Teens whose parents are affiliated with conservative denomina-

tions are especially likely to regularly attend religious services. ♦ Denominational differences are also pronounced when it

comes to other church activities, such as Sunday school.A large minority of Protestant teenagers are active in other organized religious activities:♦ Slightly less than 50 percent of Protestant teens report current activity in a reli-

gious youth group, having ever been to a religious summer camp and havinggone on a religious retreat.

The goal is tohelp denominationaland congregational leaders and religion

scholars andobservers betterunderstand the

religious situations of Protestant adolescents in the U.S.


♦ Teens with parents who are affiliated with conservative denominations areespecially likely to participate in these activities, while teens whose parentsare affiliated with black Protestant denominations are less likely than mostother Protestant teens to participate.

♦ Teens who report regularly attending religious services (at least two to threetimes a month) are more likely to participate in these religious activities thanare teens who do not regularly attend religious services.

Religious BeliefsMost Protestant teens are at least somewhat religious in their beliefs. The majorityof Protestant teens appear to hold to the most basic Christian beliefs:

♦ Ninety percent say they believe in God.

♦ Forty-four percent say they feel very or extremely close to God, meaningthat more than half of Protestant teens do not feel this close to God.

♦ Almost three-quarters of Protestant teens report that God is a personal beinginvolved in the lives of people today.

♦ The majority of Protestant teens say they believe in the afterlife, angels andother religious doctrines.

♦ Regularly attending Protestant teens are especially likely to report believingin God, the afterlife, angels, demons, miracles and judgment day.

There are sizable differences between denominations and groupings of denomi-nations in belief in God and other standard religious beliefs:

♦ Teens whose parents are affiliated with conservative or black Protestantdenominations are generally more likely to believe in God than are teensfrom mainline denominations.

♦ Teens whose parents are affiliated with the Assemblies of God, theEvangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Church of God in Christ andthe Southern Baptist Convention are especially likely to say they believe inthe afterlife.

♦ Teens whose parents are affiliated with the United Methodist Church or theEpiscopal Church in the USA are less likely than most other Protestant teensto claim belief in the afterlife.

♦ These denominational differences also apply to other standard belief measures.

Religious Faith and ExperiencesReligious faith and religious experiences appear to play an important part in thelives of many Protestant teenagers:


♦ Sixty percent of Protestant teens say that religious faith is very or extremelyimportant in shaping their daily lives, 59 percent report having a prayeranswered by God, 62 percent recall having had a powerful experience ofworship and 69 percent say they have committed to live their life for God.

♦ Teens who regularly attend religious services report a greater importance ofreligious faith in their lives and are especially likely to report having reli-gious experiences.

There are substantial denominational differences in how highly teens evaluate theimportance of faith in their lives:♦ Faith plays a particularly important role in the lives of teens with parents

who are affiliated with conservative and black Protestant denominations. ♦ Conservative Protestant teens are also highly likely to report having personal

religious experiences.

Religious PracticesThe moderate level of religious activity among Protestant teenagerspersists outside of the purview of their churches in their personalreligious devotions, as does the higher level of activity among con-servative Protestant teens. A large minority of Protestant teenagersare active in personal religious devotions and other non-organized religious activities:♦ Sixty percent of Protestant teens say they pray alone a few

times a week or more, 47 percent of Protestant teens reportpraying with their parents in the last year and 32 percent ofProtestants report reading the Bible at least once a week.

♦ Protestant teens who regularly attend church are more likelyto pray and read the Bible than are teens who attend sporadi-cally or do not attend at all.

Teens from different Protestant traditions differ in their personal reli-gious devotions: ♦ Teens whose parents are affiliated with conservative or black

Protestant denominations are more likely than mainlineProtestant teens to report regularly reading the Bible and praying.

Sharing FaithProtestant teens report sharing their religious faith in multiple ways:♦ Fifty-three percent say they express religious beliefs at school some or a lot,

41 percent report publicly speaking about their religion, 54 percent say they

Teens whoregularly attend religious servicesreport a greaterimportance of

religious faith in their lives and are especially likely

to report having religious

experiences.


shared their faith with someone not of their faith and 23 percent are mem-bers of a religious group that meets at school.

♦ Regularly attending Protestant teens are somewhat more likely to share theirfaith in these ways than teens who do not regularly attend religious services.

♦ Conservative Protestant teens are more likely than mainline teens to sharetheir religious faith with others.

Evaluations of ChurchProtestant teenagers who attend church generally have positive views of theirchurches:

♦ Seventy-nine percent of attending Protestant teens say that church is usuallywarm and welcoming.

Protestant teens, however, do have some problems with their churches:

♦ Twelve percent of attending Protestant teens say their church is usually boring.

♦ Only 49 percent of attending Protestant teens say that church is a goodplace to talk about serious issues.

Regarding fellow congregation members, attending Protestant teens have mostlypositive views with some reservations, particularly when it comes to otherteenage members:

♦ Eighty-one percent of attending Protestant teens report that adults at theirchurch are very or somewhat easy to talk with or get to know.

♦ On the negative side for attending Protestant teens, 7 percent report thatmost or all of the adults in their church are hypocrites and 12 percent saythat most or all of the teens in their church are hypocrites.

Protestant teenagers are generally approving of the role for teens in their churchesand their parents mostly believe their churches are supportive in the raising theirteens:

♦ Eighty-six percent of attending Protestant teens say there are opportunitiesfor teen involvement in their church.

♦ If given the choice, 87 percent of attending Protestant teens say they wouldchoose to attend the same church.

♦ When it comes to parents’ views, 62 percent of attending parents say theirchurch has been very or extremely helpful in raising their teen and 73 per-cent report that ministry to teenagers is very important in their church.

♦ Mainline Protestant parents are less likely than conservative and blackProtestant parents to view their congregations in such a positive light.


Morality, Risk Behaviors and Civic ParticipationThe NSYR survey includes a variety of other measures that allow an examinationof denominational differences in, among other areas, morality, risk behaviors andcivic participation. Conservative Protestant teens appear to have the clearestmoral vision among Protestant teens, though they are not less likely to take partin risk behaviors: ♦ Nineteen percent of Protestant teens report sometimes being

confused over right and wrong, 41 percent agree that moralsare relative and 63 percent say that people should wait formarriage before having sex.

♦ Mainline and black Protestant teens are more likely than con-servative teens to agree that morals are relative and less likelyto say people should wait for marriage before having sex.

♦ Conservative teens, however, are not any less likely than otherProtestant teens to report smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol,using marijuana, cheating in school and lying to their parents.

The teenagers of mainline Protestant parents are often more likelythan most other Protestant teens to participate in civic activities: ♦ Mainline teens as a whole are somewhat more likely than

conservative and especially black Protestant teens to reportthey volunteer in the community and participate in politicalactivities though conservative and especially black Protestantteens are more likely to say they helped the needy.

Nineteen percent of Protestant

teens report sometimes being

confused over right and wrong.

Note on Data and MethodsThis report is based on data from the NSYR telephone survey. The NSYR is fundedby Lilly Endowment Inc. under the direction of Professor Christian Smith at theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is a comprehensive study of the reli-gious lives of American teenagers. The NSYR provides a baseline, descriptive mapof the religious character of adolescents in the United States. A major component ofthe NSYR is a telephone survey conducted from the summer of 2002 to early 2003.

Random-digit-dialing (employing a sample of randomly generated tele-phone numbers representative of all households in the United States)and in-home randomization methods (selecting the teen in eachhousehold with the most recent birthday) were employed to achievea random sample of Americans age thirteen to seventeen. A Spanishlanguage version of the survey ensured that non-English speakerswere not overlooked. Survey questions were administered to the ran-domly chosen teen in the household and to one of his or her parents.The completed, unweighted survey provides data on 3,290 teenagersand their parents, 1,988 of whom are Protestant. All analyses areweighted to correct for variations between the NSYR data and nation-al variations in income and geographic distribution. For most meas-ures, the few teenagers who answered "don't know" or refused toanswer the question were treated as "missing cases," which meansthey are not included in the analysis. For the few measures where alarge proportion of teenagers did not answer the question or wherethe "don't know" category is meaningful, all teenagers were includedin the analysis (e.g., belief in God, views of God, and belief in judg-ment day). Question wording reflects the versions of the questionsposed to Protestant teens. For more information on the NSYR data,

see Christian Smith and Melinda Denton’s “Methodological Design and Proceduresfor the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR),” published in 2003 by theNational Study of Youth and Religion in Chapel Hill, N.C. (available at the National


The National Study of Youth and Religion provides a baseline,

descriptive map of the religious

character of adolescents in the

United States.


Study of Youth and Religion web site — www.youthandreligion.org). Readersshould note that answers to religion survey questions are typically subject to socialdesirability biases, so survey reports may overestimate actual religiosity. Normally, itis helpful to set survey answers in the context of in-depth interview data, as theNSYR did in its research, reported in Christian Smith with Melinda LundquistDenton, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers,Oxford University Press, 2005.

This report compares the religious activities and religious views of teens whose par-ents report affiliation with mainline Protestant, conservative Protestant, and blackProtestant denominations. Parents’ religious affiliation is defined as the religious tra-dition, denomination, or church they most closely identify with (affiliation reflectsidentification with a religious group, not necessarily attendance at a specificchurch). The denominational categories are based on a standard categorization ofProtestant denominations (see Appendix A for a list of denominations within eachtradition). Note that affiliation with the black Protestant category does not necessari-ly mean the teen is black, but rather that his or her parent(s) affiliate with a histori-cally black Protestant denomination. This report also focuses on the differencesbetween Protestant teenagers whose parents affiliate with a variety of specificdenominations. Specific denominations each fall under a larger religious tradition,meaning that the denominational and religious tradition categories are not mutuallyexclusive. Based on parents’ denominational affiliation, nine denominations providea large enough sample of teens for reliable denominational analyses. In addition todifferences between all Protestants, mainline Protestants, conservative Protestants,black Protestants, and all teenagers, differences between the following nine denomi-nations are also highlighted (number of sampled teens in parentheses):

♦ Assemblies of God (56)♦ Disciples of Christ (35)♦ Episcopal Church in the USA (45)♦ Evangelical Lutheran Church

in America (50)

Traditionally black Protestant denominations have sample sizes too low for reliableanalyses. In order to include teens whose parents are affiliated with black Baptistdenominations, three historically black Baptist denominations are combined —National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., National Baptist Convention of Americaand National Missionary Baptist. Thirty-two teens are considered black Baptists. Theblack Baptist category and Church of God in Christ denomination, a traditionallyblack Protestant denomination, have smaller sample sizes than the other denomina-tions included in the report. They are included, however, despite the relatively smallsample sizes.

♦ Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (40)♦ Presbyterian Church (USA) (36)♦ Southern Baptist Convention (311)♦ United Methodist Church (184) ♦ Church of God in Christ (23)

http://www.youthandreligion.org

Where appropriate, teens whose parents affiliate with each denomination arecompared to the regularly attending teens in the same denomination. Though notshown in the graphs, the text also refers to comparisons between all Protestantteens and Protestant teens who regularly attend church as well as between allteens in groupings of denominations, such as conservative or mainline, and teensin those groups who regularly attend church. Regular church attendance isdefined as at least two to three times a month. Fifty-nine percent of Protestantteens report regular church attendance. Among the highlighted denominations, 75percent of Assemblies of God, 66 percent of Evangelical Lutheran Church inAmerica, 65 percent of Southern Baptist and 52 percent of United Methodist teensattend church regularly. For denominations with small sample sizes, comparisonsbetween all teens and regularly attending teens are not possible.

The NSYR survey data reveals distinctions in family characteristics between thedenominations and between different Protestant traditions (see Appendix B fortable of demographic characteristics by denomination). As a whole, families whoare affiliated with mainline denominations are less likely than families who areaffiliated with other Protestant denominations to have incomes below $30,000.

Assemblies of God teens are particularly underrepresented in urban areas,and Southern Baptist, Missouri Synod Lutheran and Assemblies ofGod teens are overrepresented in rural areas. Families who are affil-iated with conservative denominations are generally more likely tolive in rural areas than are other Protestants. Compared to otherpredominately white denominations, the Southern BaptistConvention has a higher percentage of black teens.

The remainder of this report focuses on teens’ accounts of theirreligious beliefs and actions, specifying how all Protestant teens,teens from three broad Protestant traditions, teens from nineProtestant denominations, black Baptist teens, unaffiliated teens andall teens view various aspects of religion. Readers should keep inmind that since the majority of teens are Protestant (57 percent), the“all teens” category is largely driven by Protestant teens. The unaf-filiated category consists of teens whose parents say they do notidentify with any religion. The main body of the report contains agraph for each measure of religious activity, religious belief andviews of religion and church, presenting the percent of teens ineach religious tradition and denomination who participate in the

specified activity or hold to the religious belief in question. This report aims to layout the religious views and activities of contemporary Protestant teens in differentProtestant traditions to provide religious leaders and parents with facts about therole of religion in the lives of Protestant adolescents.


This report aims to provide

religious leaders and parents with

facts about the roleof religion in thelives of Protestant

adolescents.

creo

Church AttendanceMost Protestant teenagers are at least somewhat active in worship services in theirchurches, though less than half are highly active. Forty-five percent of Protestantteens report attending church at least once a week. Forty-one percent of all teensreport attending church at least once aweek, and only 9 percent of unaffiliatedteens say they attend at least once a week.

Conservative teens are more likely toattend church regularly than are otherProtestant teens. Among the highlightedProtestant denominations, at least 65 per-cent of teens whose parents affiliate withthe Assemblies of God, the EvangelicalLutheran Church in America, the LutheranChurch Missouri Synod, the SouthernBaptist Convention and the Church ofGod in Christ say they attend church atleast once a month. At the low end ofchurch attendance, less than half of theteens with Episcopalian parents reportattending church once a month or more.Teens whose parents affiliate with main-line denominations are more likely thanother Protestant teens to say they neverattend church.

Do you attend religious services more than once or twice a year, NOT count-ing weddings, baptisms, and funerals? About how often do you usually attendreligious services?Q


Church Attendance, U.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)

DOC

ECUSA

ELCA

LCMS

PCUSA

SBC

UMC

Blk Bapt

COGIC

Conservative

Mainline

Blk Prot

All Protestant

Unaffiliated

All Teens

Source: National Survey of Youth and Religion 2002-2003, N=3,290.

AG

Once a Week or More 1-3 Times a Month Few or Many Times a Year Never

66 16 14 4

42 18 18 21

29 19 31 21

1449 18

20 16

17

11

1535 27 24

1953

20559

47 18

19

45 14 34 7

48 22 26 4

10

36

36

54 19

22

20

9 16 21 54

15

20

29

22

18

14

182319

21

41

2045

19

66 16 14 4

42 18 18 21

29 19 31 21

1449 18

20 16

17

11

1535 27 24

1953

20559

47 18

19

45 14 34 7

48 22 26 4

10

36

36

54 19

22

20

9 16 21 54

15

20

29

22

18

14

182319

21

41

2045

19

Religious Youth GroupsAlmost half of Protestant teens (47 percent) say they are currently in a religiousyouth group, while only 38 percent of all teens and 12 percent of unaffiliated teenssay the same. Conservative teens are more likely than mainline teens to report par-

ticipation in a religious youth group, andmainline teens are more likely than blackProtestant teens to say they are in a youthgroup.

The differences among the specific denomi-nations generally follow the conservative/mainline differences. Seventy-one percent ofAssemblies of God teens, for example, reportyouth group activity while only 25 percentof Disciples of Christ and 34 percent ofEpiscopalian teens say they are currently ina youth group.

Regular church attendance is associated witha greater likelihood of youth group participa-tion, especially for mainline Protestants.Among all mainline Protestants, 44 percentreport being in a religious youth group and70 percent of the regular church attendeessay they are in a youth group. The specificmainline denominations reflect the impor-tance of church attendance, with 50 percentof all United Methodist teens saying they arein a religious youth group and 77 percent ofthe regular church-attending UnitedMethodists reporting youth group participa-tion.

Are you CURRENTLY involved in ANY religious youth group?Q16 National Study of Youth and Religion

AG 71

DOC 25

ECUSA 34

ELCA 52

LCMS 48

PCUSA 59

SBC 55

UMC 50

Blk Bapt 55

COGIC 57

Conservative 54

Mainline 44

Blk Prot 35

All Protestant 47

Unaffiliated 12

All Teens 38

AG 76

ELCA 61

SBC 69

UMC 77

Attending U.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)

Currently Involved in Any Religious Youth GroupU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)


AG 71

DOC 25

ECUSA 34

ELCA 52

LCMS 48

PCUSA 59

SBC 55

UMC 50

Blk Bapt 55

COGIC 57

Conservative 54

Mainline 44

Blk Prot 35

All Protestant 47

Unaffiliated 12

All Teens 38

AG 76

ELCA 61

SBC 69

UMC 77

Sunday SchoolSlightly more than one-half of all Protestant teens (55 percent) report going toSunday school at least a few times a month in the last year. Teens whose parents areaffiliated with conservative and black Protestant denominations are more likely thanmainline Protestant teens to regularly participate in Sunday school.

At the high end of Sunday school participa-tion, more than three-quarters of teenswhose parents affiliate with the Assembliesof God or the black Baptist denominationsreport regularly attending Sunday school.Conversely, only 38 percent of teens whoseparents are affiliated with the Disciples ofChrist and 23 percent of teens whose par-ents are Episcopalian report regular Sundayschool participation.

Regular church attendance leads to higherrates of Sunday school participation formost but not all Protestant groups. Forinstance, 55 percent of teens whose parentsaffiliate with the Evangelical LutheranChurch in America say they participate inSunday school at least a few times a monthcompared to 58 percent of the regularlyattending Evangelical Lutheran Church inAmerica teens.

On the other hand, the effect of regularattendance is fairly large for SouthernBaptist teens, despite the fact that theseteens were already highly likely to attendSunday school regardless of church atten-dance. The largest jump is among theUnited Methodist teens, with about half ofall United Methodist teens and almost three-quarters of the regular attendees reportinggoing to Sunday school at least a few timesa month.

In the last year, how often, if at all, have you attended a religious Sundayschool or other religious education class?Q


AG 78

DOC 38

ECUSA 23

ELCA 55

LCMS 52

PCUSA 63

SBC 66

UMC 48

Blk Bapt 76

COGIC 55

Conservative 61

Mainline 43

Blk Prot 58

All Protestant 55

Unaffiliated 14

All Teens 47

AG 84

ELCA 58

SBC 84

UMC 73


Attended Sunday School a Few Times a Month or More in the Last YearU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)


AG 78

DOC 38

ECUSA 23

ELCA 55

LCMS 52

PCUSA 63

SBC 66

UMC 48

Blk Bapt 76

COGIC 55

Conservative 61

Mainline 43

Blk Prot 58

All Protestant 55

Unaffiliated 14

All Teens 47

AG 84

ELCA 58

SBC 84

UMC 73

Religious CampsAs with religious youth groups, almost half of all Protestant teens (47 percent) reportever having been a camper at a summer camp run by a religious organization withreligious teachings or songs in its program. Teens whose parents affiliate with theAssemblies of God are again more likely than other teens to participate in this

religious activity.

Other conservative teens, however, such asthose from the Southern Baptist Convention,are not necessarily more likely than mostother Protestant teens to report attending areligious summer camp. While conservativeteens as a whole are only a little more likelythan mainline teens to have attended a reli-gious summer camp, conservative andmainline teens are both far more likely thanblack Protestant teens to have gone to areligious summer camp.

Regular church attendance increases sum-mer camp participation among Protestantteens, though the effect varies among thedifferent denominations and Protestant tra-ditions. For instance, 48 percent of mainlineProtestant teens report summer camp activi-ty, and 67 percent of the regularly attendingmainline teens say the same. The largeeffect of attendance for mainline Protestantsis evident among the United Methodist andEvangelical Lutheran Church in Americateens shown in the graph. Conversely,church attendance appears to have littleeffect on summer camp participation amongteens whose parents affiliate with blackProtestant denominations.

How many TOTAL times, if any, have you been a camper at a summer camprun by a religious organization with religious teachings or songs in its program?Q



Ever Attended a Summer Camp Run by a Religious OrganizationU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)

AG 78

DOC 36

ECUSA 40

ELCA 41

LCMS 48

PCUSA 61

SBC 48

UMC 53

Blk Bapt 31

COGIC 46

Conservative 53

Mainline 48

Blk Prot 31

All Protestant 47

Unaffiliated 13

All Teens 39

AG 92

ELCA 58

SBC 57

UMC 71


AG 78

DOC 36

ECUSA 40

ELCA 41

LCMS 48

PCUSA 61

SBC 48

UMC 53

Blk Bapt 31

COGIC 46

Conservative 53

Mainline 48

Blk Prot 31

All Protestant 47

Unaffiliated 13

All Teens 39

AG 92

ELCA 58

SBC 57

UMC 71

Religious Youth Retreats, Conferences, Rallies or Congresses

Half of the Protestant teens report participating in a religious youth retreat, confer-ence, rally or congress. Conservative teensare slightly more likely to participate thanare mainline teens, who are more likely toparticipate than are teens whose parentsare affiliated with black Protestant denomi-nations.

Assemblies of God teens are among themost likely of the selected denominationsto report attending a religious youthretreat, conference, rally or congress, justas they are the most likely to regularlyattend church and participate in Sundayschool, youth groups and summer camps.

While half of the Protestant teens say theyhave been to a religious youth retreat, con-ference, rally or congress, 62 percent ofthe Protestant teens who regularly attendchurch say the same. Regular church atten-dance again has more of an effect onmainline and conservative teens’ religiousparticipation than on black Protestantteens’ religious participation. AmongUnited Methodist teens, for example, 54 percent say they attended aretreat and 74 percent of the regularchurch attendees report involvement in areligious retreat.

How many, if any, religious youth retreats, conferences, rallies, or congresseshave you ever participated in?Q



Ever Participated in a Religious Youth Retreat,Conference, Rally or CongressU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)

AG 64

DOC 30

ECUSA 52

ELCA 51

LCMS 49

PCUSA 49

SBC 55

UMC 54

Blk Bapt 36

COGIC 67

Conservative 54

Mainline 50

Blk Prot 40

All Protestant 50

Unaffiliated 28

All Teens 44

AG 68

ELCA 53

SBC 68

UMC 74


AG 64

DOC 30

ECUSA 52

ELCA 51

LCMS 49

PCUSA 49

SBC 55

UMC 54

Blk Bapt 36

COGIC 67

Conservative 54

Mainline 50

Blk Prot 40

All Protestant 50

Unaffiliated 28

All Teens 44

AG 68

ELCA 53

SBC 68

UMC 74

Religious Music Group or ChoirA large minority of Protestant teens (42 percent) report playing or singing in a reli-gious music group or choir in the last year. Teens whose parents affiliate with blackProtestant denominations, for whom choir may substitute for youth group participa-tion, are considerably more likely than teens whose parents affiliate with conservative

and mainline Protestant denominations tosay they were or are in a choir.

This patterns is also evident among the spe-cific denominations examined, with Churchof God in Christ and black Baptist teensbeing the most likely to report religiousmusic group or choir participation. Teensfrom some of the conservative denomina-tions, such as the Assemblies of God and theLutheran Church Missouri Synod, have particularly low rates of choir participation.

Among most Protestant groups, the teenswho regularly attend church are moderatelymore likely to say they were in a choir ormusic group; the effects of church atten-dance are most pronounced for mainlineand unaffiliated teens. For instance, 41 per-cent of United Methodist teens report choiractivity, compared to 56 percent of the regu-larly attending United Methodist teens.

In the last year, have you played or sung in a religious music group or choir?Q20 National Study of Youth and Religion

AG 22

DOC 39

ECUSA 38

ELCA 43

LCMS 23

PCUSA 39

SBC 47

UMC 41

Blk Bapt 52

COGIC 77

Conservative 39

Mainline 37

Blk Prot 56

All Protestant 42

Unaffiliated 24

All Teens 35

AG 24

ELCA 35

SBC 51

UMC 56


Played or Sung in Religious Music Group orChoir in the Last YearU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)


AG 22

DOC 39

ECUSA 38

ELCA 43

LCMS 23

PCUSA 39

SBC 47

UMC 41

Blk Bapt 52

COGIC 77

Conservative 39

Mainline 37

Blk Prot 56

All Protestant 42

Unaffiliated 24

All Teens 35

AG 24

ELCA 35

SBC 51

UMC 56

Belief in GodNinety percent of Protestant teenagers report believing in God. Belief in Godappears widespread among teenagers generally, with 85 percent of all teens andeven 62 percent of unaffiliated teens saying they believe in God.

Teenagers whose parents are affiliated withconservative or black Protestant denomina-tions are especially likely to report belief inGod. For instance, 92 percent ofAssemblies of God teens, 96 percent ofSouthern Baptist teens, 97 percent of blackBaptist teens and 100 percent of Church ofGod in Christ teens report believing inGod. The lower levels of belief in Godamong mainline Protestants, however, maybe because mainline teens are moreunsure about God, rather than denying theexistence of God, as the next graph shows(see p. 22).

Protestant teens who regularly attendchurch are somewhat more likely to reportbelief in God though the high levels ofbelief among all Protestant teens does notleave much room for increase. Amongdenominations with lower levels of beliefin God, however, church attendance has alarger effect. To illustrate, while 84 percentof United Methodist teens report belief inGod, 99 percent of the regularly attendingUnited Methodist teens say they believe inGod.

Do you believe in God, or not, or are you unsure?QPortraits of Protestant Teens: A Report on Teenagers in Major U.S. Denominations 21

AG 92

DOC 81

ECUSA 72

ELCA 91

LCMS 83

PCUSA 75

SBC 96

UMC 84

Blk Bapt 97

COGIC 100

Conservative 92

Mainline 80

Blk Prot 98

All Protestant 90

Unaffiliated 62

All Teens 85

AG 95

ELCA 95

SBC 98

UMC 99


Believe in God: Yes

U.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)


AG 92

DOC 81

ECUSA 72

ELCA 91

LCMS 83

PCUSA 75

SBC 96

UMC 84

Blk Bapt 97

COGIC 100

Conservative 92

Mainline 80

Blk Prot 98

All Protestant 90

Unaffiliated 62

All Teens 85

AG 95

ELCA 95

SBC 98

UMC 99

Unsure About Belief in GodAlthough very few Protestant teenagers say they do not believe in God, 8 percentsay they are unsure about God. Mainline teens are more likely to express uncertaintyabout God than are teens whose parents affiliate with conservative or black

Protestant denominations, who are highlylikely to say they definitely believe in God(see p. 21).

There are relatively high levels of uncertaintyabout God among some of the mainlinedenominations’ teens, such as 20 percent ofthe Presbyterian Church (USA) teens and 23percent of the Episcopalian teens.

Regular church attendance generally leads tolower levels of uncertainty about God, espe-cially for mainline teens. Among UnitedMethodist teens, for example, 16 percent saythey are unsure about God, while only 1percent of the regular church attendeesreport being unsure about God.

Do you believe in God, or not, or are you unsure?Q22 National Study of Youth and Religion

AG 8

DOC 16

ECUSA 23

ELCA 9

LCMS 13

PCUSA 20

SBC 3

UMC 16

Blk Bapt 3

COGIC 0

Conservative 6

Mainline 16

Blk Prot 2

All Protestant 8

Unaffiliated 26

All Teens 12

AG 5

ELCA 5

SBC 2

UMC 1


Believe in God: Unsure



Views of GodAlmost three-quarters of Protestant teens agree that God is a personal being involvedin the lives of people today, while 12 percent say God created the world but is notinvolved in the world now, and 11 percent say God is not personal but somethinglike a cosmic life force. Teens whose par-ents are affiliated with conservative andblack Protestant denominations reportviewing God as a personal being involvedin the lives of people at a higher rate thanteens whose parents are affiliated withmainline denominations. On the otherhand, mainline teens are more likely thanconservative and black Protestant teens tosay God is not personal but somethinglike a cosmic life force.

For many Protestant groups, especiallythose who are less likely to say God is apersonal being, regular church attendancemeans higher rates of viewing God as apersonal being involved in the lives ofpeople today. For instance, 69 percent ofUnited Methodist teens and 75 percent ofEvangelical Lutheran Church in Americateens say God is a personal beinginvolved in the lives of people today,while 88 percent of regularly attendingUnited Methodist teens and 87 percent ofregularly attending Evangelical LutheranChurch in America teens say the same.

Which of the following views comes closest to your own view of God? God isa personal being involved in the lives of people today, or God created theworld, but is NOT involved in the world now, or God is not personal, butsomething like a cosmic life force.Q


Views of GodU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)


Personal beinginvolved in people’s lives today

Created theworld, but NOTinvolved now

Not personal, likea cosmic lifeforce

Don’t knowor none ofthese views

10 6 6

19 23 6

9 24

14

16 18

26

10

4

14

13

16

14

14 19

16 33

9

14

12 11

5 5

15

12

16

10 6 6

19 23 6

9 24

14

16 18

26

10

4

14

13

16

14

14 19

16 33

9

14

12 11

5 5

15

12

16


AG 78

DOC 52

ECUSA 61

ELCA 75

LCMS 64

PCUSA 58

SBC 75

UMC 69

Blk Bapt 76

COGIC 87

Conservative 77

Mainline 64

Blk Prot 73

All Protestant 73

Unaffiliated 48

All Teens 68

AG 84

ELCA 87

SBC 82

UMC 88

AG 78

DOC 52

ECUSA 61

ELCA 75

LCMS 64

PCUSA 58

SBC 75

UMC 69

Blk Bapt 76

COGIC 87

Conservative 77

Mainline 64

Blk Prot 73

All Protestant 73

Unaffiliated 48

All Teens 68

AG 84

ELCA 87

SBC 82

UMC 88

55

66

55

99

1515

99

99

77

99

66

22

22

22

22

33

44

33

33

33

33

44

33

55

66 44

11

22

Closeness to GodForty-four percent of Protestant teens say they feel very or extremely close to God,which means the majority of Protestant teens do not feel close to God. Teens whoseparents are affiliated with conservative or black Protestant denominations are gener-ally more likely than mainline teens to report feeling close to God.

Among the highlighted denominations, teenswhose parents are affiliated with the blackBaptist denominations and the Assemblies ofGod are particularly likely to report feelingclose to God, while less than a quarter ofEpiscopalian teens say they feel close toGod.

Teens who report regular church attendanceare generally more likely to feel close toGod than are all teens. For instance, 49 per-cent of Southern Baptist teens say they feelvery or extremely close to God, compared to58 percent of the regularly attendingSouthern Baptist teens.

How distant or close do you feel to God most of the time? Would you sayextremely distant, very distant, somewhat distant, somewhat close, very close,or extremely close?Q


AG 53

DOC 38

ECUSA 22

ELCA 43

LCMS 48

PCUSA 45

SBC 49

UMC 38

Blk Bapt 55

COGIC 48

Conservative 46

Mainline 36

Blk Prot 48

All Protestant 44

Unaffiliated 18

All Teens 38

AG 55

ELCA 43

SBC 58

UMC 56


Feel Very or Extremely Close to God Most of the TimeU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)


AG 53

DOC 38

ECUSA 22

ELCA 43

LCMS 48

PCUSA 45

SBC 49

UMC 38

Blk Bapt 55

COGIC 48

Conservative 46

Mainline 36

Blk Prot 48

All Protestant 44

Unaffiliated 18

All Teens 38

AG 55

ELCA 43

SBC 58

UMC 56

Belief in the AfterlifeThe majority of Protestant teenagers report definitely believing in life after death,though a large minority (45 percent) say they do not definitely believe in life afterdeath. Teens whose parents are affiliated with conservative denominations are gener-ally more likely than black Protestant and especially mainline Protestant teens to saythey believe in the afterlife.

Assemblies of God teens are more likelythan most other teens to report belief in theafterlife. On the other hand, teens whoseparents are affiliated with mainline denomi-nations such as the United MethodistChurch, the Episcopal Church and thePresbyterian Church (USA) are less likelythan most other Protestant teens to say theydefinitely believe in life after death.

Belief in the afterlife is fairly widespreadamong American teenagers, as even 37 percent of the unaffiliated teens report definitely believing in life after death.Regular church attendance appears to mod-erately increase belief in the afterlife,though the effect varies for differentProtestant denominations. Church atten-dance has a large effect for some groups,such as the United Methodists, with 43 per-cent reporting belief in life after death and54 percent of the regular church attendeessaying they believe in life after death. Forother denominations, such as theAssemblies of God and the EvangelicalLutheran Church in America, church atten-dance has little effect.

Do you believe that there is life after death?QPortraits of Protestant Teens: A Report on Teenagers in Major U.S. Denominations 25

DOC 49

ECUSA 35

ELCA 70

LCMS 59

PCUSA 43

SBC 60

UMC 43

Blk Bapt 59

COGIC 64

Conservative 61

Mainline 45

Blk Prot 51

All Protestant 55

Unaffiliated 37

All Teens 50

AG 76

ELCA 70

SBC 65

UMC 54

Definitely Believe in Life After Death

AG 75




DOC 49

ECUSA 35

ELCA 70

LCMS 59

PCUSA 43

SBC 60

UMC 43

Blk Bapt 59

COGIC 64

Conservative 61

Mainline 45

Blk Prot 51

All Protestant 55

Unaffiliated 37

All Teens 50

AG 75

AG 76

ELCA 70

SBC 65

UMC 54

Belief in AngelsSeventy-one percent of Protestant teenagers report definitely believing in the exis-tence of angels. Teens whose parents are affiliated with conservative and blackProtestant denominations are considerably more likely to say they believe in angels

than are mainline Protestant teens. Forinstance, 86 percent of teens whose parentsare affiliated with the Assemblies of Godand 83 percent of teens whose parents areaffiliated with black Baptist denominationssay they believe in angels. Conversely, teenswhose parents are affiliated with theEpiscopal Church, the Disciples of Christand the United Methodist Church are lesslikely than most other Protestant teens to saythey definitely believe angels.

Regular church attendance seems to increasebelief in angels, predominantly in denomi-nations with lower levels of belief in angels,such as the United Methodist Church.

Do you believe in the existence of angels?Q26 National Study of Youth and Religion

AG 86

DOC 50

ECUSA 46

ELCA 63

LCMS 70

PCUSA 56

SBC 79

UMC 54

Blk Bapt 83

COGIC 74

Conservative 77

Mainline 54

Blk Prot 75

All Protestant 71

Unaffiliated 39

All Teens 63

AG 87

ELCA 63

SBC 86

UMC 68

Definitely Believe in Existence of Angels




AG 86

DOC 50

ECUSA 46

ELCA 63

LCMS 70

PCUSA 56

SBC 79

UMC 54

Blk Bapt 83

COGIC 74

Conservative 77

Mainline 54

Blk Prot 75

All Protestant 71

Unaffiliated 39

All Teens 63

AG 87

ELCA 63

SBC 86

UMC 68

Belief in MiraclesSixty-nine percent of Protestant teens report definitely believing in the possibility ofdivine miracles from God. There are substantial differences between denominations,with teens whose parents are affiliated with conservative and black Protestantdenominations generally being more likelyto believe in miracles.

Teens whose parents are affiliated withconservative and black Protestant denomi-nations such as the Assemblies of God, theSouthern Baptist Convention, the Churchof God in Christ and black Baptist denomi-nations report higher than average levels ofbelief in miracles, each with well over 70percent saying they believe in miracles.Teens whose parents are affiliated with theEvangelical Lutheran Church in America, amainline denomination, are also highlylikely to report believing in miracles.Disciples of Christ teens, Episcopalianteens and United Methodist teens reportlower than average levels of belief in mira-cles, each with about 50 percent sayingthey definitely believe in the possibility ofdivine miracles from God.

Regular church attendance generallyincreases conservative and mainlineProtestant teens’ likelihood of believing inmiracles (Assemblies of God teens are anexception), but it has little or no effect onblack Protestant teens’ belief in miracles.

Do you believe in the possibility of divine miracles from God?QPortraits of Protestant Teens: A Report on Teenagers in Major U.S. Denominations 27

AG 75

DOC 50

ECUSA 48

ELCA 78

LCMS 59

PCUSA 64

SBC 74

UMC 51

Blk Bapt 82

COGIC 86

Conservative 75

Mainline 54

Blk Prot 76

All Protestant 69

Unaffiliated 35

All Teens 61

Definitely Believe in the Possibility of Miracles




AG 75

DOC 50

ECUSA 48

ELCA 78

LCMS 59

PCUSA 64

SBC 74

UMC 51

Blk Bapt 82

COGIC 86

Conservative 75

Mainline 54

Blk Prot 76

All Protestant 69

Unaffiliated 35

All Teens 61

AG 71

ELCA 87

SBC 83

UMC 64

AG 71

ELCA 87

SBC 83

UMC 64

Belief in Judgment DayFour out of five Protestant teens agree that there will come a judgment day whenGod will reward some and punish others. Teens whose parents are affiliated withconservative and black Protestant denominations are far more likely than mainlineteens to report believing in judgment day.

Assemblies of God, Southern Baptist, blackBaptist and Church of God in Christ teensreport higher than average levels of belief injudgment day. Episcopalian, EvangelicalLutheran Church in America, PresbyterianChurch (USA) and United Methodist teensreport lower than average levels of belief injudgment day.

Regular church attendance is associated witha greater likelihood of believing in judgmentday, even for the denominations where ahigh proportion of teens already believe injudgment day. For instance, 92 percent of allAssemblies of God teens agree that therewill come a judgment day when God willreward some and punish others, and 100percent of the regularly attending Assembliesof God teens say the same.

Do you believe that there will come a judgment day when God will rewardsome and punish others, or not?Q


AG 92

DOC 68

ECUSA 60

ELCA 59

LCMS 72

PCUSA 53

SBC 88

UMC 64

Blk Bapt 90

COGIC 91

Conservative 86

Mainline 61

Blk Prot 88

All Protestant 80

Unaffiliated 49

All Teens 73

AG 92

DOC 68

ECUSA 60

ELCA 59

LCMS 72

PCUSA 53

SBC 88

UMC 64

Blk Bapt 90

COGIC 91

Conservative 86

Mainline 61

Blk Prot 88

All Protestant 80

Unaffiliated 49

All Teens 73

AG 100

ELCA 76

SBC 92

UMC 76


Believe in Judgment Day



AG 100

ELCA 76

SBC 92

UMC 76

Importance of FaithReligious faith plays an important role in the lives of the majority of Protestantteenagers. Sixty percent of Protestant teens say faith is very or extremely importantin shaping how they live their daily lives. This of course leaves 40 percent who donot think faith plays a very important rolein their daily lives. Teens whose parentsare affiliated with conservative and blackProtestant denominations are especiallylikely to say faith is important in shapingtheir daily lives.

For instance, 72 percent of SouthernBaptist teens, 77 percent of Assemblies ofGod teens, 76 percent of black Baptistteens and 91 percent of Church of God inChrist teens say faith is important in shap-ing their daily lives. Less than half of theteens from some mainline Protestantdenominations, such as the UnitedMethodist Church and the EpiscopalChurch, say faith is very or extremelyimportant in shaping their daily lives.

Church attendance tends to increase feelings that faith is very or extremelyimportant in shaping how teens live theirdaily lives, especially for mainlineProtestants. For instance, 61 percent ofEvangelical Lutheran Church in Americateens say faith is important in shaping theirdaily lives though 71 percent of theEvangelical Lutheran Church in Americateens who regularly attend church reportthat faith is important in shaping their daily lives.

How important or unimportant is religious faith in shaping how you live yourdaily life?Q


AG 77

DOC 47

ECUSA 40

ELCA 61

LCMS 54

PCUSA 55

SBC 72

UMC 45

Blk Bapt 76

COGIC 91

Conservative 64

Mainline 43

Blk Prot 69

All Protestant 60

Unaffiliated 23

All Teens 51

AG 84

ELCA 71

SBC 83

UMC 63


Faith Is Very or Extremely Important in Shaping Daily LifeU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)


AG 77

DOC 47

ECUSA 40

ELCA 61

LCMS 54

PCUSA 55

SBC 72

UMC 45

Blk Bapt 76

COGIC 91

Conservative 64

Mainline 43

Blk Prot 69

All Protestant 60

Unaffiliated 23

All Teens 51

AG 84

ELCA 71

SBC 83

UMC 63

Committed to Live Life for GodAbout seven in 10 Protestant teens report that they have made a personal commit-ment to live their lives for God, while only 27 percent of the unaffiliated teensreport having made such a commitment. There are large denominational differences

in reporting a personal commitment to livelife for God, with conservative Protestantteens being more likely than black Protestantand especially more likely than mainlineProtestant teens to make a commitment tolive life for God. For instance, 88 percent ofAssemblies of God teens and 80 percent ofSouthern Baptist teens say they made a com-mitment to live their lives for God, whileonly 32 percent of Episcopalian teens saythe same.

Church attendance increases the likelihoodof committing to live life for God, againespecially for mainline Protestants. Amongmainline Protestant teens as a whole, 50percent report making a commitment to livetheir lives for God, and 70 percent of theregular church attendees say they committedto live their lives for God.

Not all mainline denominations, however,are equally affected by church attendance.For instance, the effects of church atten-dance on commitment to live life for Godare sizable for United Methodist teens butnot very large for Evangelical LutheranChurch in America teens.

Have you ever made a personal commitment to live your life for God?Q30 National Study of Youth and Religion


Made a Personal Commitment to Live Life for GodU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)

AG 88

DOC 53

ECUSA 32

ELCA 56

LCMS 52

PCUSA 56

SBC 80

UMC 59

Blk Bapt 79

COGIC 71

Conservative 77

Mainline 50

Blk Prot 72

All Protestant 69

Unaffiliated 27

All Teens 56

AG 92

ELCA 60

SBC 91

UMC 79


AG 88

DOC 53

ECUSA 32

ELCA 56

LCMS 52

PCUSA 56

SBC 80

UMC 59

Blk Bapt 79

COGIC 71

Conservative 77

Mainline 50

Blk Prot 72

All Protestant 69

Unaffiliated 27

All Teens 56

AG 92

ELCA 60

SBC 91

UMC 79

Reading the BibleAbout one-third of Protestant teens (32 percent) report reading the Bible by them-selves once a week or more. Teens whose parents are affiliated with conservativeand black Protestant denominations are more likely than teens whose parents areaffiliated with mainline denominations toreport reading the Bible at least once aweek.

Well over 40 percent of Assemblies of Godand Church of God in Christ teens say theyread the Bible alone at least once a weekwhile only 22 percent of Disciples ofChrist and 8 percent of Episcopalian teenssay they read the Bible alone at least oncea week.

Regular church attendance increases thelikelihood of reading the Bible alone formainline and conservative Protestant teens,but it has little or no effect for blackProtestant teens. Among United Methodistteens, for example, 23 percent report read-ing the Bible alone once a week or more,and 34 percent of the regular attendeesreport reading the Bible alone at least oncea week. Similarly, 39 percent of SouthernBaptist teens say they read the Bible aloneat least once a week, and 48 percent of theregularly attending Southern Baptist teenssay the same.

How often, if ever, do you read from the Bible to yourself alone?QPortraits of Protestant Teens: A Report on Teenagers in Major U.S. Denominations 31

AG 44

DOC 22

ECUSA 8

ELCA 14

LCMS 17

PCUSA 30

SBC 39

UMC 23

Blk Bapt 38

COGIC 48

Conservative 37

Mainline 20

Blk Prot 36

All Protestant 32

Unaffiliated 13

All Teens 26

AG 45

ELCA 19

SBC 48

UMC 34


Read the Bible Alone Once a Week or More



PrayerSixty percent of Protestant teens report praying alone at least a few times a weekwhile only 29 percent of unaffiliated teens report praying alone a few times aweek or more. Although Protestant teens report regular prayer far more often than

unaffiliated teens, fully 40 percent ofProtestant teens say they do not pray aloneat least a few times a week.

Teens whose parents are affiliated withconservative and black Protestant denomi-nations are considerably more likely thanteens whose parents are affiliated withmainline denominations to pray alone atleast a few times a week. Among the high-lighted denominations, 73 percent ofAssemblies of God teens, 75 percent ofblack Baptist teens and 78 percent ofChurch of God in Christ teens report pray-ing a few times a week or more. When itcomes to mainline denominations, only 42percent of the United Methodist teens and31 percent of the Disciples of Christ teenssay they pray at least a few times a week.

Regular church attendance tends toincrease reporting praying alone at least afew times a week, though once more theeffect of church attendance is more pro-nounced for mainline teens. Church atten-dance has little effect on reporting prayingalone for Assemblies of God teens andonly a moderate effect for Southern Baptistteens, though it has a strong effect forUnited Methodist teens.

How often, if ever, do you pray by yourself alone?Q32 National Study of Youth and Religion

AG 73

DOC 31

ECUSA 45

ELCA 57

LCMS 52

PCUSA 54

SBC 67

UMC 42

Blk Bapt 75

COGIC 78

Conservative 64

Mainline 46

Blk Prot 67

All Protestant 60

Unaffiliated 29

All Teens 53

AG 74

ELCA 68

SBC 75

UMC 56


Pray Alone a Few Times a Week or More



AG 73

DOC 31

ECUSA 45

ELCA 57

LCMS 52

PCUSA 54

SBC 67

UMC 42

Blk Bapt 75

COGIC 78

Conservative 64

Mainline 46

Blk Prot 67

All Protestant 60

Unaffiliated 29

All Teens 53

AG 74

ELCA 68

SBC 75

UMC 56

Prayer with ParentsAlmost half of all Protestant teens (47 percent) report praying with their parentsother than at mealtimes during the last year, leaving a slight majority who did notpray with their parents. Protestant teenagers do not differ much from all teenagersin their likelihood of praying with theirparents.

Denominational differences are quite pronounced, with teens whose parents areaffiliated with mainline denominationsbeing far less likely to report praying withtheir parents than teens whose parents areaffiliated with conservative or blackProtestant denominations. More than 60percent of the Assemblies of God, blackBaptist and Church of God in Christ teensremember praying with their parents in thelast year, compared to 35 percent or lessof the Episcopalian, Disciples of Christ,Presbyterian Church (USA) and UnitedMethodist teens.

Regular church attendance appears tomoderately increase praying with parentsfor three of the four mainline and conser-vative highlighted denominations com-pared in the figure.

In the last year, have you prayed out loud or silently together with one or bothof your parents, other than at mealtimes or at religious services?Q


AG 63

DOC 33

ECUSA 35

ELCA 32

LCMS 46

PCUSA 33

SBC 56

UMC 34

Blk Bapt 62

COGIC 70

Conservative 51

Mainline 32

Blk Prot 53

All Protestant 47

Unaffiliated 19

All Teens 42

AG 63

ELCA 37

SBC 64

UMC 44


Prayed with Parents Other Than atMealtimes in the Last YearU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)


AG 63

DOC 33

ECUSA 35

ELCA 32

LCMS 46

PCUSA 33

SBC 56

UMC 34

Blk Bapt 62

COGIC 70

Conservative 51

Mainline 32

Blk Prot 53

All Protestant 47

Unaffiliated 19

All Teens 42

AG 63

ELCA 37

SBC 64

UMC 44

Prayer Answered or Guidance from GodFifty-nine percent of Protestant teens say they experienced a definite answer toprayer or specific guidance from God. Teens whose parents are affiliated with con-servative Protestant denominations are more likely than most other Protestant teens

to report having a prayer answered by Godor receiving guidance from God.

Teens whose parents are affiliated with cer-tain black Protestant denominations, howev-er, are also highly likely to report having aprayer answered, such as 76 percent of theblack Baptist teens. On the other hand, only32 percent of Episcopalian teens say theydefinitely had a prayer answered or receivedguidance from God.

Church attendance increases the likelihoodof reporting having a prayer answered, espe-cially for mainline Protestant teens. Forinstance, 49 percent of United Methodistteens say they experienced a definite answerto prayer or specific guidance from Godthough 71 percent of the regularly attendingUnited Methodist teens say the same.

Have you ever experienced a definite answer to prayer or specific guidancefrom God?Q


AG 57

DOC 44

ECUSA 32

ELCA 56

LCMS 46

PCUSA 59

SBC 66

UMC 49

Blk Bapt 76

COGIC 55

Conservative 65

Mainline 46

Blk Prot 60

All Protestant 59

Unaffiliated 24

All Teens 51

AG 61

ELCA 62

SBC 74

UMC 71


Ever Experienced a Definite Answer toPrayer or Specific Guidance from GodU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)


AG 57

DOC 44

ECUSA 32

ELCA 56

LCMS 46

PCUSA 59

SBC 66

UMC 49

Blk Bapt 76

COGIC 55

Conservative 65

Mainline 46

Blk Prot 60

All Protestant 59

Unaffiliated 24

All Teens 51

AG 61

ELCA 62

SBC 74

UMC 71

Experience of Spiritual WorshipSixty-two percent of Protestant teens say they had an experience of spiritual worshipthat was very moving and powerful, leaving over one-third who have not had apowerful worship experience. In general, conservative teens are more likely thanboth mainline and black Protestant teensto report having an experience of spiritualworship that was very moving and power-ful, though not every denomination followsthis pattern.

Assemblies of God teenagers are morelikely than most teens to report having hada powerful worship experience, whileDisciples of Christ teens are less likely thanmost other Protestant teens to say they hadan experience of spiritual worship that wasvery moving and powerful. PresbyterianChurch (USA) and Evangelical LutheranChurch in America teens, however, resemble conservative teens by being morelikely than most other teens to report hav-ing a powerful worship experience.

Church attendance increases the likelihoodof reporting experiences of spiritual wor-ship, again for the mainline teens morethan the other Protestant teens. Forinstance, while only 55 percent of UnitedMethodist teens say they had an experi-ence of spiritual worship that was verymoving and powerful, 74 percent of theregularly attending United Methodist teenssay they had a powerful worship experi-ence.

Have you ever had an experience of spiritual worship that was very movingand powerful?Q



Ever Had an Experience of Spiritual Worshipthat Was Very Moving and PowerfulU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)

AG 76

DOC 33

ECUSA 50

ELCA 79

LCMS 46

PCUSA 70

SBC 70

UMC 55

Blk Bapt 63

COGIC 68

Conservative 69

Mainline 55

Blk Prot 55

All Protestant 62

Unaffiliated 21

All Teens 52

AG 82

ELCA 84

SBC 80

UMC 74


AG 76

DOC 33

ECUSA 50

ELCA 79

LCMS 46

PCUSA 70

SBC 70

UMC 55

Blk Bapt 63

COGIC 68

Conservative 69

Mainline 55

Blk Prot 55

All Protestant 62

Unaffiliated 21

All Teens 52

AG 82

ELCA 84

SBC 80

UMC 74

Religious Group at SchoolAlmost a quarter of Protestant teens (23 percent) report participating in a religioussupport or evangelism or prayer group that meets at school in last year, leaving overthree-quarters of Protestant teens who do not participate in school-based religiousgroups.

Teens whose parents are affiliated with con-servative Protestant denominations are mod-erately more likely than teens whose parentsare affiliated with mainline or blackProtestant denominations to say they were ina religious group at school in the last year.For instance, 39 percent of Assemblies ofGod teens and 31 percent of SouthernBaptist teens report school-based religiousgroup activity, compared to 12 percent ofEvangelical Lutheran Church in Americateens, 8 percent of Disciples of Christ teens,15 percent of black Baptist teens and 14 percent of Church of God in Christ teens.

Church attendance appears to moderatelyincrease activity in religious groups at schoolfor mainline and conservative teens.

In the last year, have you been a part of a religious support or evangelism orprayer group that meets at school?Q


AG 39

DOC 8

ECUSA 18

ELCA 12

LCMS 8

PCUSA 21

SBC 31

UMC 22

Blk Bapt 15

COGIC 14

Conservative 26

Mainline 19

Blk Prot 18

All Protestant 23

Unaffiliated 8

All Teens 18

AG 46

ELCA 16

SBC 36

UMC 27


Participated in a Religious Group that Meets at School in the Last YearU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)


Express Religious Beliefs at SchoolSlightly over one-half of all Protestant teens (53 percent) report expressing theirreligious beliefs at school some or a lot, which suggests that almost one-half ofProtestant teens do not talk about their religious viewpoints at school. Teenswhose parents are affiliated with conserva-tive and black Protestant denominationsare more likely than teens whose parentsare affiliated with mainline denominationsto say they express religious beliefs atschool some or a lot.

About 60 percent of Assemblies of Godteens, Southern Baptist teens and blackBaptist teens say they express religiousbeliefs at school, and almost three-quartersof Church of God in Christ teens reportexpressing religious beliefs at school. Onthe other hand, only 23 percent ofDisciples of Christ teens and 27 percent ofEpiscopalian teens say they express reli-gious beliefs at school some or a lot.Presbyterian Church (USA) teens differfrom most other mainline teens, with 86percent reporting expressing religiousbeliefs at school some or a lot.

Regular church attendance moderatelyincreases the likelihood of expressing religious beliefs at school for mainlineteens, but it has little effect for conserva-tive and black Protestant teens.

How much, if at all, do you openly express your religious beliefs at school?QPortraits of Protestant Teens: A Report on Teenagers in Major U.S. Denominations 37


Express Religious Beliefs at School Some or A LotU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)

AG 60

DOC 23

ECUSA 27

ELCA 41

LCMS 47

PCUSA 86

SBC 59

UMC 41

Blk Bapt 58

COGIC 74

Conservative 56

Mainline 42

Blk Prot 57

All Protestant 53

Unaffiliated 40

All Teens 48

AG 57

ELCA 51

SBC 62

UMC 50


AG 60

DOC 23

ECUSA 27

ELCA 41

LCMS 47

PCUSA 86

SBC 59

UMC 41

Blk Bapt 58

COGIC 74

Conservative 56

Mainline 42

Blk Prot 57

All Protestant 53

Unaffiliated 40

All Teens 48

AG 57

ELCA 51

SBC 62

UMC 50

Family Talks About Religious ThingsA little over half of all Protestant teens (53 percent) report that their families talkabout God, the scriptures, prayer or other religious or spiritual things together oncea week or more, leaving almost half of Protestant teens who do not regularly discuss

spiritual things with their families. Protestantteens are, however, far more likely thanunaffiliated teens to discuss religious or spiri-tual matters with their families.

Teens whose parents are affiliated with con-servative and black Protestant denominationsare about twice as likely as teens whose par-ents are affiliated with mainline denomina-tions to report talking about spiritual thingswith their families. For instance, 84 percentof Assemblies of God teens and 76 percentof black Baptist teens say they talk aboutspiritual things with their families at leastonce a week, compared to only 31 percentof United Methodist teens.

Church attendance tends to increase the like-lihood of discussing spiritual things withone’s family. While 53 percent of Protestantteens report discussing spiritual things withtheir families once a week or more, 66 per-cent of regularly attending Protestant teenssay the same. Among the highlighteddenominations, the effect of church atten-dance is fairly strong for Southern Baptistand United Methodists teens but only mod-erate for Evangelical Lutheran Church inAmerica and Assemblies of God teens.

How often, if ever, does your family talk about God, the scriptures, prayer, orother religious or spiritual things together?Q


AG 84

DOC 42

ECUSA 27

ELCA 39

LCMS 48

PCUSA 36

SBC 61

UMC 31

Blk Bapt 76

COGIC 70

Conservative 59

Mainline 30

Blk Prot 66

All Protestant 53

Unaffiliated 16

All Teens 45

AG 90

ELCA 43

SBC 71

UMC 42


Family Talks About Religious Things Once a Week or MoreU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)


AG 84

DOC 42

ECUSA 27

ELCA 39

LCMS 48

PCUSA 36

SBC 61

UMC 31

Blk Bapt 76

COGIC 70

Conservative 59

Mainline 30

Blk Prot 66

All Protestant 53

Unaffiliated 16

All Teens 45

AG 90

ELCA 43

SBC 71

UMC 42

Publicly Spoken About Faith in Religious Service or Meeting

Less than half of all Protestant teens (41 percent) say they publicly spoke abouttheir faith in a religious service or meeting in the last year. Teens whose parentsare affiliated with conservative denomina-tions are more likely to report speakingabout faith in a religious service than areteens whose parents are affiliated withmainline or black Protestant denomina-tions. For instance, 59 percent ofAssemblies of God teens say they spokeabout their faith in a religious meeting inthe last year, compared to 33 percent ofblack Baptist teens, 32 percent ofEpiscopalian and Presbyterian Church(USA) teens and 27 percent of Disciples ofChrist teens.

Regular church attendance only slightlyincreases the likelihood of speaking pub-licly about faith for most conservativeteens, but it moderately increases the like-lihood for most mainline teens. Thirty-seven percent of all United Methodistsand 49 percent of the regularly attendingUnited Methodists, for example, say theyspoke about their faith in religious servicesor meetings, yet the effect of church atten-dance is small and inconsistent forEvangelical Lutheran Church in Americaand Southern Baptist teens.

In the last year, have you publicly spoken about your faith in a religious service or meeting?Q


AG 59

DOC 27

ECUSA 32

ELCA 37

LCMS 51

PCUSA 32

SBC 45

UMC 37

Blk Bapt 33

COGIC 50

Conservative 45

Mainline 34

Blk Prot 36

All Protestant 41

Unaffiliated 24

All Teens 36

AG 63

ELCA 32

SBC 50

UMC 49


Publicly Spoken About Faith in ReligiousService in the Last YearU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)


AG 59

DOC 27

ECUSA 32

ELCA 37

LCMS 51

PCUSA 32

SBC 45

UMC 37

Blk Bapt 33

COGIC 50

Conservative 45

Mainline 34

Blk Prot ` 36

All Protestant 41

Unaffiliated 24

All Teens 36

AG 63

ELCA 32

SBC 50

UMC 49

Shared Faith with Person not of their FaithA slight majority of Protestant teens (54 percent) report having shared their reli-gious faith with someone not of their faith in the last year. Teens whose parentsare affiliated with conservative and mainline denominations are more likely than

teens whose parents are affiliated withblack Protestant denominations to reportsharing their faith.

Seventy-seven percent of the MissouriSynod Lutheran teens, 67 percent of theEvangelical Lutheran Church in Americateens and 65 percent of the PresbyterianChurch (USA) teens report sharing theirreligious faith with someone, compared toonly 41 percent of the black Baptist teens.

Regular church attendance appears toslightly increase the likelihood of sharingfaith with someone for most Protestantteens though it slightly decreases the like-lihood of sharing faith for EvangelicalLutheran Church in America teens.

In the last year, have you shared your own religious faith with someone elsenot of your faith?Q


AG 55

DOC 42

ECUSA 47

ELCA 67

LCMS 77

PCUSA 65

SBC 56

UMC 43

Blk Bapt 41

COGIC 52

Conservative 59

Mainline 54

Blk Prot 45

All Protestant 54

Unaffiliated 43

All Teens 53

AG 63

ELCA 62

SBC 59

UMC 50


Shared Faith with Person not of their Faith in the Last YearU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)


AG 55

DOC 42

ECUSA 47

ELCA 67

LCMS 77

PCUSA 65

SBC 56

UMC 43

Blk Bapt 41

COGIC 52

Conservative 59

Mainline 54

Blk Prot 45

All Protestant 54

Unaffiliated 43

All Teens 53

AG 63

ELCA 62

SBC 59

UMC 50

Church Is Usually Warm and WelcomingSeventy-nine percent of Protestant teens who report attending religious servicesmore than a few times a year (not counting weddings, baptisms, funerals andyouth group meetings) say their churches usually feel warm and welcoming forthem. Note that this measure, and mostother measures of how teens evaluatetheir churches, was only asked of teenswho report attending church (or syna-gogue, temple, mosque, etc.) more than afew times a year.

Apparently, most teens who attend reli-gious services more than a few times ayear feel that their congregations arewarm and welcoming; even 74 percent ofteens with unaffiliated parents say so.There is not much difference betweenteens in the different Protestant traditionsin viewing their churches as warm andwelcoming. Among the specific denomi-nations, however, there is some variation.For instance, while 93 percent ofPresbyterian Church (USA) teens and 91percent of Evangelical Lutheran Church inAmerica teens report that their churchesusually feel warm and welcoming, only69 percent of teens whose parents areEpiscopalian say the same.

Protestant teens who regularly attendchurch (at least two or three times amonth) are slightly more likely than otherProtestant teens to say that their churchesare usually warm and welcoming.

Does your church feel like a warm and welcoming place for you, usually,sometimes, rarely, or never?Q



Church Usually Feels Warm and Welcoming


AG 83

DOC 81

ECUSA 69

ELCA 91

LCMS 84

PCUSA 93

SBC 81

UMC 78

Blk Bapt 89

COGIC 71

Conservative 79

Mainline 82

Blk Prot 75

All Protestant 79

Unaffiliated 74

All Teens 75

AG 87

ELCA 89

SBC 82

UMC 80


AG 83

DOC 81

ECUSA 69

ELCA 91

LCMS 84

PCUSA 93

SBC 81

UMC 78

Blk Bapt 89

COGIC 71

Conservative 79

Mainline 82

Blk Prot 75

All Protestant 79

Unaffiliated 74

All Teens 75

AG 87

ELCA 89

SBC 82

UMC 80

Church Is Usually BoringTwelve percent of Protestant teens who attend religious services more than a fewtimes a year say that church is usually boring. The differences between Protestanttraditions are not too large, though teens whose parents are affiliated with conserva-tive Protestant denominations are somewhat less likely than teens whose parents are

affiliated with mainline and black Protestantdenominations to report that church is usually boring.

At the high end among the specific denomi-nations, 24 percent of United Methodistteens say that church is usually boring. Atthe low end, only 5 percent of Disciples ofChrist teens report that their churches areusually boring.

Protestant teens who regularly attend churchare slightly less likely than other Protestantteens to report that their churches are usuallyboring. For instance, while 24 percent ofUnited Methodist teens say their churchesare boring, 18 percent of the regularlyattending United Methodist teens say theirchurches are boring.

Is your church boring to you, usually, sometimes, rarely, or never?Q42 National Study of Youth and Religion


Church Is Usually Boring



AG 11

ELCA 13

SBC 8

UMC 18

AG 13

DOC 5

ECUSA 8

ELCA 11

LCMS 9

PCUSA 10

SBC 9

UMC 24

Blk Bapt 7

COGIC 14

Conservative 11

Mainline 15

Blk Prot 14

All Protestant 12

Unaffiliated 24

All Teens 15

Church Usually Makes Teen Think About Important Things

About two-thirds (65 percent) of Protestant teens who attend church more than a few times a year say that church usually makes them think about important things,leaving over a third of Protestant teens whodo not think that church usually makes themthink about important things.

On the whole, teens whose parents are affiliated with conservative denominationsare somewhat more likely than most otherProtestant teens to report that church usuallymakes them think about important things.Among the highlighted denominations,Assemblies of God and Presbyterian Church(USA) teens who attend church more than afew times a year are the most likely to saythat church usually makes them think aboutimportant things, each with over 80 percent.On the other hand, less than one-half ofEpiscopalian teens who attend church morethan a few times a year (46 percent) say thatchurch usually makes them think aboutimportant things.

The effect of regular church attendance onteens saying that church usually makes themthink about important things varies betweendenominations. While United Methodistteens who regularly attend church are mod-erately more likely than other UnitedMethodist teens to say church usually makesthem think about important things,Evangelical Lutheran Church in Americateens who regularly attend church are slight-ly less likely than all Evangelical LutheranChurch in America teens who attend morethan a few times a year to say that church makes them think about important things.

Does your church make you think about important things, usually, sometimes,rarely or never?Q



Church Usually Makes Teen Think AboutImportant ThingsU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)

LCMS 67

AG 87

ELCA 65

SBC 67

UMC 64

AG 85

DOC 62

ECUSA 46

ELCA 69

PCUSA 83

SBC 64

UMC 55

Blk Bapt 59

COGIC 65

Conservative 69

Mainline 60

Blk Prot 63

All Protestant 65

Unaffiliated 46

All Teens 63


LCMS 67

AG 85

DOC 62

ECUSA 46

ELCA 69

PCUSA 83

SBC 64

UMC 55

Blk Bapt 59

COGIC 65

Conservative 69

Mainline 60

Blk Prot 63

All Protestant 65

Unaffiliated 46

All Teens 63

AG 87

ELCA 65

SBC 67

UMC 64

Church Is a Very Good Place to Talk About Serious Issues

Only one-half of Protestant teens who attend church more than a few times a year(49 percent) say church is a very good place to talk about serious issues like family

problems, alcohol or troubles at school.Teens whose parents are affiliated with blackProtestant and especially conservativeProtestant denominations are generally morelikely than teens whose parents are affiliatedwith mainline denominations to say thatchurch is a very good place to talk aboutserious issues.

Among the specific denominations, 65 per-cent of Church of God in Christ teens and57 percent of both Assemblies of God andSouthern Baptist teens say that church is avery good place to talk about serious issues,while only 31 percent of Episcopalian and34 percent of United Methodist teens agreethat church is a very good place to talkabout serious issues.

Regular church attendance slightly increasesthe chances of teens saying that church is avery good place to talk about serious issueslike family problems, alcohol or troubles atschool.

How good or not good a place is your church to go if you wanted to talkabout serious issues like family problems, alcohol or troubles at school?Q



Church Is a Very Good Place to Talk AboutSerious IssuesU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)


AG 58

ELCA 55

SBC 60

UMC 37

AG 57

DOC 43

ECUSA 31

ELCA 49

LCMS 39

PCUSA 48

SBC 57

UMC 34

Blk Bapt 37

COGIC 65

Conservative 53

Mainline 39

Blk Prot 49

All Protestant 49

Unaffiliated 34

All Teens 45

AG 57

DOC 43

ECUSA 31

ELCA 49

LCMS 39

PCUSA 48

SBC 57

UMC 34

Blk Bapt 37

COGIC 65

Conservative 53

Mainline 39

Blk Prot 49

All Protestant 49

Unaffiliated 34

All Teens 45

AG 58

ELCA 55

SBC 60

UMC 37

Adults in Teen’s Church Are Somewhat orVery Easy to Talk with and Get to Know

Eighty-one percent of Protestant teens who attend church more than a few times ayear report that adults in their churches are somewhat or very easy to talk with andget to know. There is little variationbetween the Protestant traditions in teens’likelihood of saying that adults in theirchurches are somewhat or very easy to talkwith and get to know.

There are, however, differences betweenthe specific denominations. At the highend, 93 percent of Presbyterian Church(USA) teens report that adults in theirchurches are easy to talk with and get toknow. At the low end, only 58 percent ofEpiscopalian teens say that adults in theirchurches are somewhat or very easy to talkwith and get to know.

Protestant teens who regularly attendchurch are generally not any more likelythan other Protestant teens to report thatadults in their churches are somewhat orvery easy to talk with and get to know.

When you think about most of the adults in your church, how easy or hard arethey to talk with and get to know?Q



Adults at Church Are Somewhat or Very Easyto Talk with and Get to KnowU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)

DOC 82

ECUSA 58

ELCA 82

LCMS 67

PCUSA 93

SBC 86

UMC 83

Blk Bapt 78

COGIC 62

Conservative 81

Mainline 82

Blk Prot 80

All Protestant 81

Unaffiliated 91

All Teens 80

ELCA 79

SBC 86

UMC 87


AG 81

AG 82

ELCA 79

SBC 86

UMC 87

AG 82

DOC 82

ECUSA 58

ELCA 82

LCMS 67

PCUSA 93

SBC 86

UMC 83

Blk Bapt 78

COGIC 62

Conservative 81

Mainline 82

Blk Prot 80

All Protestant 81

Unaffiliated 91

All Teens 80

AG 81

Adults in Congregation Are HypocritesSeven percent of Protestant teens who attend church more than a few times ayear say they think of most or all adults in their congregations as hypocrites. Onthe whole, teens whose parents are affiliated with black Protestant denominations

are somewhat more likely than teenswhose parents are affiliated with conserva-tive and mainline denominations to reportthat most or all adults in their congrega-tions are hypocrites.

Among the highlighted denominations, 15percent of black Baptist teens and 35 per-cent of Episcopalian teens who attendchurch more than a few times a year saythat most or all adults in their congrega-tions are hypocrites while only 2 percentof the Evangelical Lutheran Church inAmerica teens and none of thePresbyterian Church (USA) teens in theNSYR sample agree that most or all adultsin their congregations are hypocrites.

Regular church attendance has little effecton reporting that most or all adults in theteens’ congregations are hypocrites.

About how many, if any, of the adults in your church do you tend to think ofas hypocrites?Q



Most or All Adults in Congregation AreHypocritesU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)


AG 9

DOC 5

ECUSA 35

ELCA 2

LCMS 9

PCUSA 0

SBC 7

UMC 8

Blk Bapt 15

COGIC 5

Conservative 6

Mainline 7

Blk Prot 10

All Protestant 7

Unaffiliated 8

All Teens 7

AG 6

ELCA 3

SBC 6

UMC 9

Teens in Congregation Are HypocritesTwelve percent of Protestant teens who attend church more than a few times ayear say they think of most or all teens in their congregations as hypocrites. Ingeneral, teens whose parents are affiliated with black Protestant denominationsare somewhat more likely than teenswhose parents are affiliated with conserva-tive denominations to report that most orall teens in their congregations are hypocrites.

There are also sizable differences betweenthe specific denominations. None of thePresbyterian Church (USA) teens in theNSYR sample say that most or all teens intheir churches are hypocrites, just as noneof them reported that adults in theirchurches are hypocrites. On the otherhand, 28 percent of teens whose parentsare Episcopalian say they think of most or all teens in their congregations as hypocrites.

Similar to viewing adults as hypocrites,regular church attendance has little effecton whether teens view other teens in thechurch as hypocrites.

About how many, if any, of the teenagers in your church do you tend to thinkof as hypocrites?Q



Most or All Teens in Congregation AreHypocritesU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)


AG 9

DOC 5

ECUSA 28

ELCA 7

LCMS 6

PCUSA 0

SBC 12

UMC 17

Blk Bapt 15

COGIC 5

Conservative 10

Mainline 12

Blk Prot 15

All Protestant 12

Unaffiliated 15

All Teens 11

AG 11

ELCA 8

SBC 13

UMC 17

Opportunities for Teen Involvement in Church

Eighty-six percent of Protestant teens who attend church more than a few times ayear say there are regular opportunities in their churches for teenagers to get

involved in religious services, such as read-ing scripture or praying out loud. Mostteenagers who attend church more than afew times a year agree that there are regularopportunities for teen involvement in theirchurches, with 84 percent of all teens agreeing and even 74 percent of teens withunaffiliated parents agreeing.

There is little variation among the Protestanttraditions in teens’ views that there areopportunities for teen involvement inchurch. Among the specific denominations,at the high end 96 percent of teens whoseparents are Episcopalian say that there areregular opportunities in their churches forteenagers to get involved in religious serviceswhile at the low end, 79 percent of MissouriSynod Lutheran teens say the same.

Regular church attendance has almost noeffect on a Protestant teen’s likelihood ofsaying that there are opportunities in his orher church for teenagers to get involved inreligious services, such as reading scriptureor praying out loud.

Are there any regular opportunities in your church for teenagers to get involvedin religious services, such as reading scripture or praying out loud?Q



Regular Opportunities for Teens to Be Involved in Religious ServicesU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)

DOC 80

ECUSA 96

ELCA 84

LCMS 79

PCUSA 86

SBC 88

UMC 80

Blk Bapt 81

COGIC 91

Conservative 86

Mainline 84

Blk Prot 86

All Protestant 86

Unaffiliated 74

All Teens 84

ELCA 87

SBC 87

UMC 81


AG 85

AG 84

ELCA 87

SBC 87

UMC 81

AG 84

DOC 80

ECUSA 96

ELCA 84

LCMS 79

PCUSA 86

SBC 88

UMC 80

Blk Bapt 81

COGIC 91

Conservative 86

Mainline 84

Blk Prot 86

All Protestant 86

Unaffiliated 74

All Teens 84

AG 85

Would Attend the Same ChurchEighty-seven percent of Protestant teens who attend religious services more thanonce or twice a year report that they would go to the same church if it were totallyup to them, rather than go to a different church or not go to church at all. Teens ingeneral appear fairly satisfied with their congregations in this sense, with 84 percentof all teens who attend religious servicesmore than once or twice a year saying theywould go to the same congregation if itwere totally up to them.

Teens whose parents are affiliated with con-servative denominations are somewhatmore likely than teens whose parents areaffiliated with mainline denominations tosay they would like to attend the samechurch if it were up to them. Among thehighlighted denominations, 90 percent ormore of teens whose parents are affiliatedwith the Assemblies of God, the EvangelicalLutheran Church in America, the LutheranChurch Missouri Synod, the SouthernBaptist Convention and the Church of Godin Christ report that they would go to thesame church if it were totally up to them.Conversely, only 67 percent of allPresbyterian Church (USA) teens say theywould go to the same church if it weretotally up to them.

For most, though not all, Protestant denomi-nations, regular church attendance has littleeffect on teens saying that they would go tothe same church if it were totally up tothem. For United Methodist teens, however,regular church attendance does lead themto be somewhat more likely to report thatthey would like to attend the same church ifgiven the choice.

If it were totally up to you, would you go to the same church that you go tonow, a different religious congregation, or would you not go to religious services at all? Q



Would Go to the Same Church if it WereTotally up to TeenU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)

DOC 81

ECUSA 82

ELCA 94

LCMS 95

PCUSA 67

SBC 90

UMC 83

Blk Bapt 85

COGIC 91

Conservative 88

Mainline 84

Blk Prot 87

All Protestant 87

Unaffiliated 74

All Teens 84

ELCA 95

SBC 92

UMC 89


AG 90

AG 90

ELCA 95

SBC 92

UMC 89

AG 90

DOC 81

ECUSA 82

ELCA 94

LCMS 95

PCUSA 67

SBC 90

UMC 83

Blk Bapt 85

COGIC 91

Conservative 88

Mainline 84

Blk Prot 87

All Protestant 87

Unaffiliated 74

All Teens 84

AG 90

Parent’s View that Church Has Been Very orExtremely Helpful in Raising their Teen

Sixty-two percent of Protestant parents who attend church at least a few times a yearsay that their churches have been very or extremely supportive and helpful for them

as parents trying to raise their teens. This, ofcourse, means that over a third of Protestantparents who attend church at least a fewtimes a year think that their churches havenot been helpful in raising their teens.

Parents who are affiliated with conservativeand black Protestant traditions are consider-ably more likely than mainline parents toreport that their churches have been very orextremely helpful in raising their teens.Seventy percent or more of Assemblies ofGod, Disciples of Christ, black Baptist andChurch of God in Christ parents who attendchurch at least a few times a year say thattheir churches have been very or extremelyhelpful in raising their teens. Conversely, 50percent or less of Episcopalian, PresbyterianChurch (USA) and United Methodist parentswho attend church at least a few times ayear report that their churches have beenvery or extremely helpful in raising theirteens.

Protestant parents, particularly mainline par-ents, with teens who regularly attend churchare often more likely than other Protestantparents to report that their churches havebeen very or extremely supportive and help-ful for them as parents trying to raise theirteens. In other words, if the teen does notparticipate in church much, then the parentsare less likely to see the church as helpful.

How supportive and helpful would you say your church has been for you as aparent trying to raise [teen’s name]?Q


Parents of Attending U.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)

Church Has Been Very or Extremely Helpful for Parent Trying to Raise TeenParents of U.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)


Unaffiliated NA

ELCA 57

SBC 69

UMC 63

AG 76

AG 79

DOC 74

ECUSA 47

ELCA 54

LCMS 52

PCUSA 50

SBC 66

UMC 49

Blk Bapt 70

COGIC 73

Conservative 65

Mainline 51

Blk Prot 67

All Protestant 62

All Teens 57

AG 79

DOC 74

ECUSA 47

ELCA 54

LCMS 52

PCUSA 50

SBC 66

UMC 49

Blk Bapt 70

COGIC 73

Conservative 65

Mainline 51

Blk Prot 67

All Protestant 62

All Teens 57

ELCA 57

SBC 69

UMC 63

AG 76

Parent’s View that Ministry to Teens Is a Very Important Priority in their Church

Almost three-quarters of Protestant parents who attend church at least a few timesa year (73 percent) say that ministry toteens is a very important priority in theirchurches, suggesting that over a quarter ofProtestant parents feel that their churchesare not placing a high priority on ministryto teens. Parents who are affiliated withconservative and especially blackProtestant denominations are generally farmore likely than mainline parents toreport that ministry to teens is very important in their churches.

Eighty percent or more of Assemblies ofGod, Southern Baptist, black Baptist andChurch if God in Christ parents whoattend church at least a few times a yearsay that ministry to teens is a very important priority in their churches. Onthe other hand, only 41 percent ofEpiscopalian parents and 42 percent ofMissouri Synod Lutheran parents reportthat ministry to teens is a very importantpriority in their churches.

Teens’ church attendance appears to havelittle effect on their parents’ view that ministry to teens is a very important priority in their churches.

Would you say that at your church, ministry to teenagers is a very importantpriority, a fairly important priority, a somewhat important priority, a low priori-ty, or not a priority at all?Q


Parents of Attending U.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)

Ministry to Teens Is a Very Important Priority in Parent’s ChurchParents of U.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)

Blk Prot 80


ELCA 54

SBC 79

UMC 62

AG 87

DOC 70

ECUSA 41

ELCA 57

LCMS 42

PCUSA 62

SBC 80

UMC 58

Blk Bapt 82

COGIC 91

Conservative 76

Mainline 58

All Protestant 73

Unaffiliated NA

All Teens 66

AG 86

Blk Prot 80

DOC 70

ECUSA 41

ELCA 57

LCMS 42

PCUSA 62

SBC 80

UMC 58

Blk Bapt 82

COGIC 91

Conservative 76

Mainline 58

AG 86

All Protestant 73

All Teens 66

ELCA 54

SBC 79

UMC 62

AG 87

Moral RelativismForty-one percent of Protestant teenagers say they agree that morals are relative, thatthere are no definite rights and wrongs for everybody. Half of all teens whose par-ents are affiliated with mainline denominations agree that morals are relative, while

37 percent of teens whose parents are affili-ated with conservative denominations and36 percent of teens whose parents are affili-ated with black Protestant denominationsagree that morals are relative.

With 66 percent agreeing that morals are rel-ative, unaffiliated teens are more likely thanProtestant teens to be moral relativists.Among the specific denominations, only 17percent of Church of God in Christ and 24percent of Assemblies of God teens agreethat morals are relative while at least half ofall Disciples of Christ, Episcopalian,Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,Missouri Synod Lutheran and UnitedMethodist teens agree that morals are relative.

Regular church-attending Protestants aresomewhat less likely than all Protestant teensto agree that morals are relative.

Some people say that morals are relative, that there are no definite rights andwrongs for everybody. Do you agree or disagree?Q



Agree that Morals Are Relative, that there AreNo Definite Rights and Wrongs for EverybodyU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)

AG 24

DOC 52

ECUSA 54

ELCA 52

LCMS 50

PCUSA 49

SBC 41

UMC 52

Blk Bapt 43

COGIC 17

Conservative 37

Mainline 50

Blk Prot 36

All Protestant 41

Unaffiliated 66

All Teens 45

AG 21

ELCA 43

SBC 37

UMC 48


AG 24

DOC 52

ECUSA 54

ELCA 52

LCMS 50

PCUSA 49

SBC 41

UMC 52

Blk Bapt 43

COGIC 17

Conservative 37

Mainline 50

Blk Prot 36

All Protestant 41

Unaffiliated 66

All Teens 45

AG 21

ELCA 43

SBC 37

UMC 48

Confusion over Right and WrongFewer than one in five Protestant teens say they sometimes feel confused aboutwhat is right and wrong, as opposed to usually having a good idea of what is rightand wrong in most situations. There is little difference in moral clarity between thedifferent major Protestant traditions, andthere is little difference between Protestantteens, unaffiliated teens and all teens.

There are, however, some differencesbetween the specific Protestant denomina-tions. Only 6 percent of Episcopalian teensand 9 percent of Missouri Synod Lutheranteens say they sometimes feel confusedabout what is right and wrong. On theother hand, 23 percent of Church of Godin Christ teens, 24 percent of SouthernBaptist teens and 25 percent of Disciplesof Christ teens report that they sometimesfeel confused about what is right andwrong.

Regular church attendance appears to havelittle effect on stemming confusion overright and wrong; in fact, for some denomi-nations, the regularly attending teens areslightly more likely to express feeling con-fusion over right and wrong. Perhaps someattending teens are paying more attentionto issues of right and wrong.

Do YOU YOURSELF sometimes feel confused about what is right and wrong,or do you usually have a good idea of what is right and wrong in most situations?Q



Sometimes Feel Confused About What Is Right and WrongU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)

AG 14

DOC 25

ECUSA 6

ELCA 18

LCMS 9

PCUSA 10

SBC 24

UMC 19

Blk Bapt 17

COGIC 23

Conservative 19

Mainline 18

Blk Prot 22

All Protestant 19

Unaffiliated 16

All Teens 20

AG 8

ELCA 22

SBC 27

UMC 17


Sexual Abstinence before MarriageSixty-three percent of all Protestant teens say they think that people should wait tohave sex until they are married while only 38 percent of unaffiliated teens believe insexual abstinence before marriage. Teens whose parents are affiliated with conserva-

tive Protestant denominations are particularlylikely to say that people should wait to havesex until they are married. Eighty-two per-cent of Church of God in Christ teens and 80percent of Assemblies of God teens reportsupporting sexual abstinence before mar-riage, compared to half of the UnitedMethodist teens and only 40 percent of theEpiscopalian teens.

For mainline and conservative Protestantteens, regular church attendance appears toincrease support for sexual abstinence beforemarriage. For instance, while 66 percent ofall Southern Baptist teens say they think thatpeople should wait to have sex until they aremarried, 76 percent of the regularly attend-ing Southern Baptist teens say they supportsexual abstinence before marriage.

Do you think that people should wait to have sex until they are married, or notnecessarily?Q



People Should Wait to Have Sex until TheyAre MarriedU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)

AG 80

DOC 67

ECUSA 40

ELCA 52

LCMS 63

PCUSA 63

SBC 66

UMC 50

Blk Bapt 63

COGIC 82

Conservative 72

Mainline 50

Blk Prot 54

All Protestant 63

Unaffiliated 38

All Teens 56

AG 81

ELCA 57

SBC 76

UMC 66


AG 80

DOC 67

ECUSA 40

ELCA 52

LCMS 63

PCUSA 63

SBC 66

UMC 50

Blk Bapt 63

COGIC 82

Conservative 72

Mainline 50

Blk Prot 54

All Protestant 63

Unaffiliated 38

All Teens 56

AG 81

ELCA 57

SBC 76

UMC 66

Sexual IntercourseAlmost one-fifth of Protestant teenagers report engaging in sexual intercourse in thelast year. Mainline teens appear slightly less likely to have had sex in the last yearthan conservative teens, though black Protestant teens are more likely than bothmainline and conservative teens to haveengaged in sexual intercourse. More than20 percent of Southern Baptist, blackBaptist and Church of God in Christ teensreport having sex in the last year.

On the other hand, five percent or less ofDisciples of Christ, Evangelical LutheranChurch in America and PresbyterianChurch (USA) teens report engaging in sex-ual activity in the last year. Factors such asrace, social status, age and gender normal-ly play a role in affecting teen sexual activity. For instance, race influ-ences the denominational differences —teens who are affiliated with denomina-tions that have a greater than average pro-portion of black adherents are more likelyto report engaging in sexual intercourse.

Regularly attending Protestant teens aregenerally less likely to have sex than areall Protestant teens. Additionally, the viewthat people should wait for marriagebefore having sex appears to be related towhether or not teens actually have sex, butthere is still some discrepancy. Church ofGod in Christ teens, for example, are morelikely than most teens to say that peopleshould wait until marriage before havingsex, but they are also more likely thanmost other teens to report having sex.

When was the last time you had sexual intercourse? (Asked only of thoseteenagers who said they have ever engaged in sexual intercourse.)Q



Engaged in Sexual Intercourse in the Last YearU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)

AG 16

DOC 3

ECUSA 19

ELCA 5

LCMS 15

PCUSA 0

SBC 23

UMC 17

Blk Bapt 21

COGIC 23

Conservative 18

Mainline 15

Blk Prot 26

All Protestant 19

Unaffiliated 22

All Teens 19

AG 11

ELCA 0

SBC 20

UMC 12



Cheating in SchoolSixty-three percent of all Protestant teens say they cheated in school in the last year,making them somewhat more likely than unaffiliated teens to report cheating inschool. There is little variation in cheating between the different major Protestant

traditions.

There is, however, a fair amount of variationbetween the specific denominations. At thehigh end, 80 percent of Missouri SynodLutheran teens and 82 percent of Church ofGod in Christ teens report cheating in schoolin the last year. At the low end, 60 percentor less of Assemblies of God, EvangelicalLutheran Church in America, SouthernBaptist and United Methodist teens say theycheated in school in the last year.

Regular church attendance has varyingeffects on cheating. For instance, regularattendance tends to increase cheating forAssemblies of God teens and it tends todecrease cheating for Evangelical LutheranChurch in America teens.

In the last year, how often, if ever, did you cheat on a test, assignment, orhomework in school?Q


Cheated in School in the Last Year


AG 59

DOC 67

ECUSA 71

ELCA 58

LCMS 80

PCUSA 78

SBC 58

UMC 60

Blk Bapt 69

COGIC 82

Conservative 62

Mainline 65

Blk Prot 62

All Protestant 63

Unaffiliated 58

All Teens 62

AG 66

ELCA 53

SBC 59

UMC 63


AG 59

DOC 67

ECUSA 71

ELCA 58

LCMS 80

PCUSA 78

SBC 58

UMC 60

Blk Bapt 69

COGIC 82

Conservative 62

Mainline 65

Blk Prot 62

All Protestant 63

Unaffiliated 58

All Teens 62

AG 66

ELCA 53

SBC 59

UMC 63

Lying to ParentsNine percent of Protestant teens say they lied to their parents fairly often or veryoften in the previous year. There is little variation between the major Protestanttraditions in lying to parents, though there are some differences between the specific denominations.

For instance, 13 percent of Church of Godin Christ teens report lying to their parentsin the last year while only four percent ofAssemblies of God teens say they lied totheir parents.

Regular church attendance appears tohave little effect on lying to parents formany Protestant teens though it moderately decreases lying among United Methodist teens.

In the last year, how often, if ever, did you lie to your parents?QPortraits of Protestant Teens: A Report on Teenagers in Major U.S. Denominations 57

Lied to Parents Fairly or Very Often in the Last YearU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)

AG 4

DOC 6

ECUSA 8

ELCA 5

LCMS 11

PCUSA 7

SBC 9

UMC 10

Blk Bapt 10

COGIC 13

Conservative 9

Mainline 8

Blk Prot 9

All Protestant 9

Unaffiliated 11

All Teens 10

AG 3

ELCA 3

SBC 9

UMC 6




Drinking AlcoholEleven percent of Protestant teens report drinking alcohol a few times a month ormore, compared to 16 percent of unaffiliated teens. Teens whose parents are affiliatedwith mainline denominations are somewhat more likely than other Protestant teens tosay they drink alcohol at least a few times a month.

Twenty-three percent of teens whose parentsare Episcopalian, for example, say they drinkalcohol a few times a month or more.Nevertheless, teens whose parents are affili-ated with the mainline Presbyterian Church(USA) are the least likely to drink alcohol,with none of the Presbyterian Church (USA)teens in the NSYR sample saying they drinkalcohol a few times a month or more.

Regular church attendance appears to leadto slightly less alcohol consumption amongProtestant teenagers.

How often, if at all, do you drink alcohol, such as beer, wine or mixed drinks,not including at religious services?Q


Drink Alcohol a Few Times a Month or More


AG 8

DOC 6

ECUSA 23

ELCA 13

LCMS 7

PCUSA 0

SBC 9

UMC 14

Blk Bapt 10

COGIC 13

Conservative 10

Mainline 13

Blk Prot 9

All Protestant 11

Unaffiliated 16

All Teens 12

AG 8

ELCA 11

SBC 8

UMC 12


Smoking CigarettesSeven percent of Protestant teens say they smoke at least one cigarette a day. Teenswhose parents are affiliated with black Protestant denominations are less likely thanmost other Protestant teens to report smoking cigarettes.

Among the specific denominations, 2 per-cent of Episcopalian and Missouri SynodLutheran teens and 3 percent of blackBaptist teens say they smoke at least onecigarette a day while 12 percent ofAssemblies of God and 13 percent ofDisciples of Christ teens report doing so.

Regular church attendance for specificdenominations appears to have little effecton teens’ likelihood of smoking cigarettes.

Do you smoke cigarettes regularly, that is, at least one cigarette a day, or not?QPortraits of Protestant Teens: A Report on Teenagers in Major U.S. Denominations 59


Smoke at Least One Cigarette a Day


AG 12

DOC 13

ECUSA 2

ELCA 9

LCMS 2

PCUSA 5

SBC 7

UMC 4

Blk Bapt 3

COGIC 9

Conservative 9

Mainline 7

Blk Prot 4

All Protestant 7

Unaffiliated 11

All Teens 7

AG 13

ELCA 8

SBC 5

UMC 2



Using MarijuanaTen percent of Protestant teens report that they use marijuana occasionally or regularly. There is little variation in smoking marijuana among the majorProtestant traditions, though there are differences among the specific denomi-

nations. Twenty-six percent of Church ofGod in Christ teens and 15 percent ofEpiscopalian teens say they use marijuanaat least occasionally.

Conversely, only 4 percent of EvangelicalLutheran Church in America teens and 2percent of Missouri Synod Lutheran teensreport using marijuana occasionally or regularly. Regular church attendance tendsto decrease the likelihood of smoking mar-ijuana for United Methodist teens, but ithas little effect for most other Protestantteens.

How often, if ever, have you used marijuana?Q


Use Marijuana Occasionally or Regularly


AG 10

DOC 9

ECUSA 15

ELCA 4

LCMS 2

PCUSA 10

SBC 9

UMC 10

Blk Bapt 7

COGIC 26

Conservative 9

Mainline 11

Blk Prot 10

All Protestant 10

Unaffiliated 13

All Teens 11

AG 8

ELCA 3

SBC 8

UMC 2


Volunteering and Community ServiceThirty percent of Protestant teens say they did organized volunteer work or commu-nity service at least occasionally in the previous year, slightly less than the percentof all teenagers reporting volunteering at least occasionally in the previous year.Teens whose parents are affiliated withmainline denominations are somewhatmore likely than teens whose parents areaffiliated with conservative denominationsto say they volunteered in the last yearwhile both mainline and conservativeteens are more likely than teens whoseparents are affiliated with black Protestantdenominations to report doing organizedvolunteer work or community service.

The highlighted denominations range from14 percent of the black Baptist teens say-ing they volunteered to 45 percent of theEvangelical Lutheran Church in Americateens reporting that they volunteered atleast occasionally in the last year.

Regular church attendance appears to havesmall uneven effects on volunteering forProtestant teens. While regular churchattendance increases the chances of doingcommunity service for Assemblies of God,Southern Baptist and United Methodistteens, it decreases the chances of commu-nity service activity for EvangelicalLutheran Church in America teens.

In the last year, how much, if at all, have you done organized volunteer workor community service?Q


AG 35

DOC 21

ECUSA 43

ELCA 45

LCMS 26

PCUSA 37

SBC 32

UMC 34

Blk Bapt 14

COGIC 41

Conservative 31

Mainline 35

Blk Prot 23

All Protestant 30

Unaffiliated 27

All Teens 33

AG 42

ELCA 37

SBC 37

UMC 40


Did Organized Volunteer Work at LeastOccasionally in the Last YearU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)


AG 35

DOC 21

ECUSA 43

ELCA 45

LCMS 26

PCUSA 37

SBC 32

UMC 34

Blk Bapt 14

COGIC 41

Conservative 31

Mainline 35

Blk Prot 23

All Protestant 30

Unaffiliated 27

All Teens 33

AG 42

ELCA 37

SBC 37

UMC 40


Helping Needy PeopleForty-four percent of Protestant teens report helping homeless people, needy neigh-bors, family friends or other people in need, directly — not through an organization— some or a lot. This is the same percent for all U.S. teenagers. Teens whose

parents are affiliated with black Protestantdenominations are particularly likely to saythey help needy people informally. Half ofthe Church of God in Christ teens, for exam-ple, report helping needy people some or alot, compared to a quarter of thePresbyterian Church (USA) teens.

Regular church attendance has inconsistenteffects on helping needy people forProtestant teens. For instance, though regularchurch attendance increases the likelihoodof informally helping the needy forAssemblies of God teens, it has little or noeffect for Evangelical Lutheran Church inAmerica, United Methodist and SouthernBaptist teens.

In the last year, how much, if at all, did you help homeless people, needyneighbors, family friends, or other people in need, directly, not through anorganization?Q

AG 43

DOC 39

ECUSA 38

ELCA 33

LCMS 33

PCUSA 25

SBC 44

UMC 37

Blk Bapt 41

COGIC 50

Conservative 43

Mainline 38

Blk Prot 51

All Protestant 44

Unaffiliated 47

All Teens 44

AG 43

DOC 39

ECUSA 38

ELCA 33

LCMS 33

PCUSA 25

SBC 44

UMC 37

Blk Bapt 41

COGIC 50

Conservative 43

Mainline 38

Blk Prot 51

All Protestant 44

Unaffiliated 47

All Teens 44

AG 55

ELCA 34

SBC 41

UMC 37


Helped Needy People Some or A Lot inthe Last YearU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)


AG 55

ELCA 34

SBC 41

UMC 37

Political ActivityEleven percent of Protestant teens say that in the last two years they have beeninvolved in political activities, not including student government, such as signing apolitical petition, attending a political meeting or contacting an elected official.

Teens whose parents are affiliated with cer-tain mainline Protestant denominations aresomewhat more likely than most otherProtestant teens to report participating inpolitical activities. For instance, 20 percentof Presbyterian Church (USA) teens and 19percent of Episcopalian teens say theywere involved in political activities in thelast two years. On the other hand,Assemblies of God teens also surpass theProtestant average.

Regular church attendance seems to havelittle consistent effect on teenagers’ likeli-hood of participating in politics. Forinstance, regular attendance considerablydecreases political activity for EvangelicalLutheran Church in America teens, thoughit leads to slightly more political activityfor United Methodist teens.

In the last TWO years, have you been involved in any political activities, notincluding student government, such as signing a political petition, attending apolitical meeting or contacting an elected official, or not?Q


AG 14

DOC 6

ECUSA 19

ELCA 11

LCMS 11

PCUSA 20

SBC 10

UMC 15

Blk Bapt 3

COGIC 4

Conservative 10

Mainline 13

Blk Prot 12

All Protestant 11

Unaffiliated 12

All Teens 11

AG 11

ELCA 3

SBC 10

UMC 19


Involved in Political Activities in the Last Two YearsU.S. Teens Age 13-17 (percents)



ConclusionsThis report employs the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) survey data toexamine the religious beliefs and practices of U.S. Protestant teenagers, as a moredenomination-specific follow-up to the recent NSYR-based book by Christian Smithwith Melinda Lundquist Denton, Soul Searching: the Religious and Spiritual Lives ofAmerican Teenagers. For many but certainly not all measures, teens whose parentsare affiliated with conservative denominations are more likely to believe and partic-ipate religiously than are teens whose parents are affiliated with mainline denomi-nations. Teens whose parents are affiliated with black Protestant denominations areoften highly likely to hold religious beliefs but not as likely to participate.

The picture for mainline denominations is not entirely dim. Church-attending mainline teens report viewing fellow church members justas positively as conservative teens view their fellow church members.In fact, the Presbyterian Church (USA) teens report the most positiveviews of adults and teens in their churches. Attending mainline teensare also just as likely as conservative teens to report opportunities foryouth involvement in church, with Episcopalian teens being the mostlikely to report opportunities for teen involvement. Additionally,mainline teens do not report greater levels of risk behaviors than con-servative teens, and they report moderately higher levels of voluntaryand political participation than do conservative teens. Church-attend-ing mainline Protestant teens are also almost as likely as otherProtestant teens to say they would attend the same church that theydo if given the choice. While the mainline teens and their parentsexpress somewhat lower levels of satisfaction with religion and theirchurches than do conservative teens and parents, mainline Protestantteens also report many positive views of religion and church.

For many of the religious measures, Protestant teens who attendchurch at least two or three times a month are more likely than all Protestant teens

Teens whoseparents are affiliated

with conservative denominations are more likely to believe and

participate religiouslythan are teens whose parents are affiliated

with mainline denominations.

to believe and participate religiously. The effects of church attendance, however,are often more pronounced for teens whose parents are affiliated with mainlinedenominations than for teens whose parents are affiliated with conservative orblack Protestant denominations. For instance, when it comes tobelief in life after death, angels, miracles and judgment day, churchattendance has the largest effect on mainline teens. Additionally, theeffects of church attendance are sometimes noticeably weak orabsent for teens whose parents are affiliated with black Protestantdenominations, such as among the measures of belief in life afterdeath, angels, miracles and judgment day. The effect of churchattendance on mainline teens’ religious beliefs and activities is prob-ably partially due to their lower overall levels of belief and religiousactivity. In other words, church attendance has a greater effect onthose groups of teens who have the most room for improvement.

Although conservative teens generally report higher levels of reli-gious belief and participation, the patterns between denominationsoften vary, and these variations do not always make sense from theviewpoints of traditional theological differences. For instance,Evangelical Lutheran Church in America teens are significantly lesslikely than many other teens to report belief in a judgment day butmore likely than many other teens to say they believe in miracles andthe afterlife. Theological coherence does not seem to be a hallmark of Protestantteens in general. For instance, 55 percent of Protestant teens report belief in anafterlife yet 80 percent report belief in a judgment day.

The NSYR data reveal that a minority of Protestant teens say that church is a verygood place to talk about serious life issues. Specifically, less than one-half ofProtestant teens say church is a very good place to talk about serious issues intheir lives. The mainline teens are especially unlikely to say church is a very goodplace to talk about serious issues. Many Protestant churches do not seem to be giv-ing their teen members the impression that they can safely discuss important lifeissues in their churches.

Although this report repeatedly points out differences between mainline, conserva-tive, and black Protestant teens, some denominations break that pattern. ThePresbyterian Church (USA) teens, in particular, often do not behave like othermainline teens, despite the status of the Presbyterian Church (USA) as a mainlinedenomination. For instance, Presbyterian Church (USA) teens are the most positiveabout talking to adults in their church, are the least likely to say adults in theirchurch are hypocrites, look very positively upon fellow congregation members ingeneral, are the most likely to express religious beliefs at school, are highly partici-


Less than half ofProtestant teens say that church is a very good place to talk about serious

life issues.

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patory in Sunday school and religious summer camps and are highly likely to reporthaving a powerful experience of worship. Regardless of these positive views ofchurch and high levels of religious activity, only two-thirds of Presbyterian Church(USA) teens say they would attend the same church if it were up to them. This sug-gests that there may be more to retaining teenage members than having approach-able adults and an active Sunday school program.

Church-attending Protestant teens in general do not always equate their views ofchurch with their views of fellow congregation members. While most attendingProtestant teens have positive views of church, they do not always have positiveviews of fellow congregation members. Many Protestant teens think that at leastsome teens in their church are hypocrites. Episcopalian teens are especially likely tosay most or all teens and adults in their church are hypocrites.

Like their children, the parents of NSYR teens are generally positive toward theirchurches although they express some concerns, too. A sizable minority of Protestantparents report that their churches are not helpful in raising their teens. The distinc-tion between mainline, conservative and black Protestant parents on this point isquite evident. Mainline parents are by far the least likely to say that their churches

are helpful in raising their teens. Many mainline congregations thus do not appearto be meeting the needs or expectations of parents with teenagers.

The findings above reveal little connection between morality and riskbehaviors. Along these lines, most Protestant teens report relativelyhigh levels of moral clarity. Less than one-fifth, for example, reportever being confused about what is right and what is wrong. Almosttwo-thirds say people should wait until marriage before having sex.Despite their moral clarity, however, Protestant teens take part in avariety of risk behaviors. Eleven percent say they drink alcohol a fewtimes a month or more, 9 percent report lying to their parents fairlyor very often in the last year and almost two-thirds report cheating inschool in the last year. Moral awareness thus does not always pro-duce moral actions. Furthermore, the risk behaviors themselves donot always vary consistently by denomination. For instance, LutheranChurch Missouri Synod teens are the least likely of the denomina-tions to say they use marijuana and some of the least likely to reportsmoking cigarettes, but they are some of the most likely to say theycheat in school and lie to their parents.

Mainline teens report somewhat higher levels of civic activity thando conservative and especially black Protestant teens. Mainline Protestant teens vol-unteer and participate in political activities more than conservative and blackProtestant teens. Black Protestant teens, however, are the most likely to report help-

Most Protestant teens report

relatively high levelsof moral clarity.

Despite their moral clarity,

however, they takepart in a variety of risk behaviors.

ing needy people not through organized means. In the U.S., many often think ofreligion as what takes place in church or what transpires between a person andtheir God. It is possible that for many mainline Protestant teens, however, religionalso involves a believer’s activity in this world helping their fellow humans.

This report is intended, among other things, to help Protestant leaders betterunderstand the adolescent members of their religious organizations. Protestantteens report relatively high levels of religious belief and participation, they gener-ally say they place a high importance on faith and most of them say they havepositive views of their churches and fellow church members. Inmost cases, Protestant teens participate more, are more likely tobelieve, place a greater importance in faith and more highly valuetheir churches than do non-Protestant teens. Such numbers shouldbe interpreted cautiously, however, since NSYR teen interview find-ings — as reported in the book by Christian Smith with MelindaLundquist Denton, Soul Searching: the Religious and Spiritual Livesof American Teenagers — also show, for instance, that many U.S.religious teens understand and embrace very little of the theologicalsubstance of their own faith traditions. Readers should also keep inmind that, considering all measures of religious participation andviews of religion in this report, there are some Protestant teens whochoose not to participate in, believe the teachings of or positivelyevaluate their churches. For instance, the fact that about four-fifthsof Protestant teens report that adults in their churches are at leastsomewhat easy to talk to and get to know also means that aboutone-fifth do not feel comfortable talking to adults in their congrega-tions. Thus, the results from the NSYR survey not only point towhat appears to be the important role churches play in the lives ofProtestant teenagers, but also perhaps to ways those churches may need to workmore effectively with the teenage members of their churches.


Protestant teens participate more, are more likely tobelieve, place a

greater importance in faith, and morehighly value theirchurches than do

non-Protestant teens.


Adventist/Seventh-Day AdventistAmerican Baptist AssociationAmerican Baptist Churches in the USAApostolic PentecostalAssemblies of GodBaptist Missionary AssociationBible ChurchCalvary ChapelCharismaticCharismatic BaptistChristian and Missionary AllianceChristian Reformed ChurchChurch (Churches) of ChristChurch of God InternationalChurch of God of Anderson, IndianaChurch of God of Cleveland, TennesseeChurch of God of ProphecyChurch of God, General ConferenceChurch of the BrethrenChurch of the NazareneConservative Baptist Association of AmericaEvangelicalEvangelical Covenant ChurchEvangelical Free ChurchEvangelical Presbyterian ChurchFour SquareFree MethodistFree Will BaptistFull GospelFundamentalistFundamentalist BaptistGeneral Association of Regular BaptistsGeneral BaptistsGrace Brethren ChurchHolinessIndependent

Independent BaptistInter-DenominationalJust ProtestantLutheran Church Missouri Synod Lutheran Church Wisconsin SynodMennoniteMissionary BaptistMissionary ChurchNational Missionary Baptist Convention of

AmericaNazareneNon-DenominationalNorth American Baptist ConferenceOther BaptistOther BrethrenOther Church of GodOther Church (Churches) of ChristOther LutheranOther MethodistOther PentecostalOther PresbyterianPentecostalPentecostal Church of GodPentecostal Holiness ChurchPlymouth BrethrenPresbyterian Church in AmericaReformed Presbyterian Churches of North

AmericaSouthern Baptist ConventionSpanish PentecostalUnited Pentecostal Church InternationalVineyard FellowshipWesleyan ChurchWesleyan MethodistWorldwide Church of God

Appendix A: Religious Traditions

Conservative Protestant Denominations

Note: Bold denotes denominations highlighted in the report.


Mainline Protestant Denominations

African Methodist EpiscopalAfrican Methodist Episcopal ZionAmerican Baptist Association (if black)American Baptist Churches in the USA (if black)Apostolic Pentecostal (if black)Charismatic Baptist (if black)Christian Methodist EpiscopalChurch (Churches) of Christ (if black)Church of God in ChristChurch of God in Christ, InternationalChurch of God of the Apostolic FaithChurch of God, HolinessGeneral Baptists (if black)Holiness (if black)Independent Baptist (if black)Inter-denominational (if black)

Just Protestant (if black)Missionary Baptist (if black)National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.*National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.*National Missionary Baptist Convention of

America (if black)*Non-Denominational (if black)Other Baptist (if black)Other Church of God (if black)Other Methodist (if black)Pentecostal (if black)Pentecostal Church of God (if black)Pentecostal Holiness Church (if black)Reformed BaptistSouthern Baptist Convention (if black)United Baptist

CongregationalistDisciples of ChristEpiscopal Church in the USAEvangelical Lutheran Church in AmericaJust LutheranJust MethodistJust PresbyterianJust ProtestantMoravian Church in America

Northern BaptistPresbyterian Church (USA)Quaker/FriendsReformed Church in AmericaUnited Brethren in ChristUnited Church of ChristUnited Methodist Church

Black Protestant Denominations

Note: Bold denotes denominations highlighted in the report.* Denotes denominations in black Baptist grouping.

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Appendix B:

Demographic Characteristics by

Protestant Denomination (percents)FamilyIncomeBelow

$30,000

Urban RuralAfrican-

American Teens

Latino Teens

Assemblies of God 23 14 29 4 4

Disciples of Christ 31 44 19 7 7

Episcopal Church in the USA 13 29 23 11 2

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 7 16 27 0 0

Lutheran Church Missouri Synod 14 20 30 2 4

Presbyterian Church (USA) 7 25 10 0 0

Southern Baptist Convention 24 21 32 25 3

United Methodist Church 10 19 23 6 4

Black Baptist 25 54 25 90 0

Church of God in Christ 55 57 22 87 0

Conservative Protestant 22 19 31 4 8

Mainline Protestant 15 24 23 5 3

Black Protestant 45 47 16 94 1

All Protestants 25 26 25 23 6

Unaffiliated 29 29 24 7 13

All Teenagers 24 27 22 16 12

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Portraits of Protestant Teens: A Report on Teenagers in Major U.S. Denominations

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