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Changes in Religiosity Across the Transition to Young Adulthood
Melissa Chan1, Kim M Tsai, Andrew J Fuligni
1University of California, Los Angeles, 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA, mchan28@ucla.edu.
Journal of Youth and Adolescence
|August 9, 2014
Summary
Young adults show a decline in religious affiliation and participation during the transition to adulthood. Religiosity is linked to a greater sense of meaning and purpose, impacting well-being.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Developmental Science
Background:
- Social identities, including religious ones, evolve during the critical transition from adolescence to young adulthood.
- Understanding changes in religiosity is crucial for comprehending adolescent and young adult development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine developmental changes in religious affiliation, identity, and participation from adolescence to young adulthood.
- To investigate how individual (gender, ethnicity) and contextual (college type, residential status) factors influence these changes.
- To explore the association between religiosity and well-being indicators like meaning, purpose, and depressive symptoms.
Main Methods:
- A 4-year longitudinal study tracking 584 individuals from an average age of 17.9 to 22.1 years.
- Data collection focused on religious affiliation, identity, participation, individual characteristics, contextual factors, and well-being measures.
- Statistical analyses were employed to identify developmental trends and influencing factors.
Main Results:
- A significant decline in religious affiliation was observed across all participants.
- Changes in religious identity varied by gender, and changes in religious participation differed by ethnicity.
- Religiosity was more strongly associated with a greater sense of meaning and purpose than with reduced depressive symptoms.
Conclusions:
- Youth generally experience a decrease in religiosity during the transition to young adulthood.
- Individual and contextual factors play a role, though often minor, in the rate of change in religiosity.
- Religiosity is particularly important for eudaimonic well-being, contributing to a sense of meaning and purpose in young adulthood.
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