Losing religion : adolescence and the nonreligious identity
| Author(s) | Zulkowski, Samantha | |
| Date Accessioned | 2012-12-13T12:52:52Z | |
| Date Available | 2012-12-13T12:52:52Z | |
| Publication Date | 2012 | |
| Abstract | This study investigates how changes in values over time impact religious involvement, orthodoxy, and affiliation among adolescents. More specifically, I am interested in what ways individuals lose religiosity and how they compare to those who maintain or gain religiosity. Using the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) longitudinal dataset, I examine if changes in values surrounding the meaning of life, equality and care, and marriage between waves significantly affects changes in levels of religiosity. I look at three dimensions of religiosity, involvement, orthodoxy, and affiliation, as my dependent variables. First differences modeling, also known as change score modeling, along with OLS and logistic regressions were used to assess the relationships of the dependent and independent variables between Waves 1 and 3 of the NSYR. Results suggest that among the three dimensions of religiosity, changes in values impact changes in religious involvement and orthodoxy over time, but not affiliation. Furthermore, changes in thinking about the meaning of life increased respondents’ likelihood of losing religious affiliation whereas changes in valuing equality and care and conservative marriage ideals decreased this likelihood. Future research should continue to look at religiosity as a complex, multi-dimensional concept rather than measuring it with one variable alone while investigating adolescence and emerging adulthood as a time of self-exploration and religious identity development. | en_US |
| Advisor | Tranby, Eric | |
| Degree | M.A. | |
| Department | University of Delaware, Department of Sociology | |
| URL | http://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/11989 | |
| Publisher | University of Delaware | en_US |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Teenagers. | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Identification (Religion) | |
| Title | Losing religion : adolescence and the nonreligious identity | en_US |
| Type | Thesis | en_US |