Is There a Correlation Between Rates of Divorce and Religiosity?

A new study suggests that there may in fact be a connection between if your parents divorced in Colorado when you were a child and whether or not you grew up to consider yourself a religious person. Only 23 percent of people whose parents stayed married reported being non-religious, reports The Washington Post. In contrast, 35 percent of people whose parents were divorced said they were not religious adults.

If your parents divorced when you were little, you likely faced many tough situations. Adjusting to a new reality where many aspects of your life are different can be difficult. Reportedly, many churches did not step in to help children adjust and provide the emotional and spiritual support many children lacked. As a result, those children do not feel a connection with their church as adults.

Interestingly, it was found that even if you are a child of divorce and do consider yourself to be a religious person, you are possibly still less religious than your peers whose parents remained married. That was determined by examining the numbers of religious adults who reported attending worship services on a weekly basis and whether or not their parents were divorced.

The findings of the study seem to be consistent with the overall trend in religious belief being on the decline. Currently, 25 percent of Americans do not identify with any particular religion, compared to 5 percent in 1972. The rate of divorce peaked in the 1980’s and it seems to be that people who were children in that era are now the ones that lack a spiritual connection to a particular church or religion. This is general information on this topic and should not be construed as legal advice.

Tags: Divorce

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