Churchgoing and Christian Ethics: an Empirical Study among 13- to 15-Year-Old Students in England and Wales

Abstract

This study explores the connections between churchgoing and two fields of Christian moral values (sex-related and substance-related) among 23,714 13- to 15-year-old students in England and Wales who self-identified as either Christian or as of no religion. Bivariate crosstabulation identifies clear patterns of association. Multiple regression analyses confirm that the associations persist after controlling for personal factors (sex and age) and for psychological factors (extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism). Multiple regression analyses also suggest that additional variance is explained when two aspects of intrinsic religiosity are added to the model (personal prayer and belief in God) and that much of the variance accounted for by churchgoing is mediated through these aspects of intrinsic religiosity. These findings illuminate the connection between the Christian community and communities of moral values.