Chuchgoing Helps Low-Income Teens Do Better In School, Study Says

Jet, Sept 3, 2001

The poorer the neighborhood the stronger the link between youth going to worship services and doing well in school, suggests a national study released by the American Sociological Association in Anaheim, CA.

It's the people at the church who make the difference, says Calvin College sociologist Mark Regnerus, one of the researchers of the study. Religious communities emphasize and reward socially acceptable behavior, which encourages keeping up in school, he says.

Participants in the study included 9,700 teenage students in grades 7 to 12 from all religious backgrounds.

Researchers speculate that church attendance is not as important for middle-class teens because wealthier communities have good schools, civic and recreation groups and low employment to help teens stay on track.