{"id":71231,"date":"2020-09-10T09:51:40","date_gmt":"2020-09-10T14:51:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2020\/09\/10\/u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals\/"},"modified":"2024-07-15T17:04:32","modified_gmt":"2024-07-15T21:04:32","slug":"u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Teens Take After Their Parents Religiously, Attend Services Together and Enjoy Family Rituals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/09\/PF_20.09.12_teens_featured.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33717\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<div style=\"border-width:1px;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);--block-gap: inherit\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible has-background has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-border-color has-ui-beige-dark-border-color\" id=\"how-we-did-this\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/collapsible&quot;}\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;collapsibleId&quot;:&quot;how-we-did-this&quot;,&quot;isOpen&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-open=\"context.isOpen\" data-wp-init--scroll-into-view=\"callbacks.onInitScrollIntoView\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__title\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\"><div>How we did this<\/div><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__icon\"><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"context.isOpen\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-plus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-plus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!context.isOpen\" hidden><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-minus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-minus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__content\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For this report, we surveyed 1,811 pairs of U.S. teens and their parents \u2013 one parent and one teen from each household. The survey was conducted online by Ipsos, from March 29 to April 14, 2019. Ipsos sampled households from its KnowledgePanel, a probability-based web panel recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses and telephone (landline and cellphone) numbers, designed to be nationally representative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While many surveys are designed to measure the responses of individuals, this one also was designed to measure the responses of pairs. The goal was to measure the degree of religious alignment between teens and their parents by separately asking them similar questions about their religious affiliations, beliefs and practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Parents who qualified for the study \u2013 those who had a child ages 13 to 17 living with them \u2013 were asked to complete a web survey, with some questions referring specifically to their teenager (or the teen with the next upcoming birthday, if there was more than one in the household). Upon answering the last question, the responding parent was asked to pass the survey to the teen they had been asked about, so the teen could complete their portion; parents were encouraged to allow teens to answer the questions on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While this survey is not meant to be representative of U.S. adults overall, it <em>is<\/em> weighted to be representative of two different populations: 1) parents with teens ages 13 to 17; and 2) teens ages 13 to 17. It is weighted to be representative by age and gender, race, ethnicity, education, and other categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more information, see the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/methodology-34\">Methodology<\/a> for this report. The <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_teens.religion.topline.pdf\">questions used in this analysis<\/a> can be found here.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When it comes to religion, American teenagers and their parents tend to have a lot in common \u2013 though not quite as much as the parents may think, according to a new analysis of Pew Research Center survey data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-310-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals\/pf_09-10-20_religion-teens-00-0-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"dfe6ea\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #dfe6ea;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-0.png?resize=480,580 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-0.png?resize=622,752 622w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"375\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-0.png?w=622\" alt=\"Most parents and teens share a religious identity\" class=\"wp-image-82680 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To begin with, most U.S. teens (ages 13 to 17) share the religious affiliation of their parents or legal guardians. Protestant parents are likely to have teens who identify as Protestants, while Catholic parents mostly have teens who consider themselves Catholics, and the vast majority of religiously unaffiliated parents have teens who describe themselves as atheists, agnostics or \u201cnothing in particular.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Within the broad Protestant category, however, there are stark differences. Eight-in-ten parents who affiliate with an evangelical Protestant denomination have a teen who also identifies as an evangelical Protestant. But among parents who belong to mainline Protestant denominations such as the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 55% have a teen who identifies in the same way \u2013 and 24% have a teen who is unaffiliated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the whole, U.S. teens attend religious services about as often as their parents do: 44% of U.S. teens say they go to religious services at least once a month, almost exactly the same as the share of their parents who say they attend monthly (43%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals\/pf_09-10-20_religion-teens-00-1-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"dfe7e6\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #dfe7e6;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-1.png?resize=480,875 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-1.png?resize=782,1426 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-1.png?resize=826,1506 826w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"766\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-1.png?w=562\" alt=\"Parents more likely than teens to say religion is very important in their lives\" class=\"wp-image-82709 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When there are religious differences between adults and their 13- to 17-year-old children, however, it\u2019s usually the teens who are less religious than the parents. For instance, far fewer teens (24%) than parents (43%) say that religion is very important in their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The survey also asked parents and teens about how important they think religion is in the other person&#8217;s life, and found that, overall, most are on the same page. For instance, 73% of teens give the same answer as their parent about how important religion is to the parent, and 68% of parents give the same answer about how important religion is to their teen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But among those who do not agree, parents are far more likely to overestimate the importance of religion to their teen than to underestimate it. For example, among all parents who give a different answer than their teen does regarding the importance of religion to the teen, 69% think religion is more important in the life of their teen than their teen does, and 29% believe it is less important to their teen than their teens says. Meanwhile, among all teens who give a different answer than their parent on the importance of religion in their parents\u2019 lives, 43% overestimate how important religion is to their parent, while 55% underestimate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals\/pf_09-10-20_religion-teens-00-2-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e6e7e2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e6e7e2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-2.png?resize=480,479 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-2.png?resize=782,780 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-2.png?resize=826,824 826w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"419\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-2.png?w=826\" alt=\"Half of teens say they hold all the same religious beliefs as their parent \u2026\" class=\"wp-image-82706 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And of approximately 1,800 teenagers who were surveyed alongside one of their parents, about half the teens (48%) say they have \u201call the same\u201d religious beliefs as their parent. But among the other half of all teens \u2013 those who say they share \u201csome of the same\u201d beliefs or hold \u201cquite different\u201d beliefs from their parent \u2013 about one-third (34%) say their parent doesn\u2019t know that they differ religiously. And one-in-six (17%) say this difference causes at least some conflict in their household.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked how many of their religious beliefs they hold in common, most teens and parents give the same answer, including 40% of teen-parent pairs who say they hold \u201call the same\u201d beliefs and 30% who agree that they hold \u201csome of the same\u201d beliefs. But in roughly a quarter of cases (27%), their responses do not align \u2013 and most of those are situations in which the parent assumes a higher level of agreement. For example, 12% of the pairs consist of a parent who says they share <em>all<\/em> the same religious beliefs as their teen, but a teen who disagrees. And another 4% consist of a parent who says they share <em>some<\/em> beliefs with their teen, while the teen says their beliefs are quite different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals\/pf_09-10-20_religion-teens-00-3-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e1e9ed\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e1e9ed;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-3.png?resize=480,377 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-3.png?resize=782,615 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-3.png?resize=960,755 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-3.png?resize=1200,943 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-3.png?resize=1262,992 1262w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"503\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-3.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Four-in-ten teens say they share all the same religious beliefs as their parent \u2013 and their parent agrees\" class=\"wp-image-82701 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals\/pf_09-10-20_religion-teens-00-4-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"ebeff1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #ebeff1;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-4.png?resize=480,674 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-4.png?resize=782,1099 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-4.png?resize=840,1180 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"590\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-4.png?w=729\" alt=\"Less-religious parents very likely to have teens who also are less religious\" class=\"wp-image-82697 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, differences can run in both directions: There are nonreligious parents who have highly religious teens, as well as the other way around. But the survey data suggests that, by some traditional measures of religious observance \u2013 religious importance and prayer \u2013 highly religious parents are less likely to have teenagers who share their beliefs than nonreligious parents are to have teenagers without strong religious beliefs.[1. This comports with findings from recent research that points to intergenerational growth in the likelihood that nonreligious parents raise nonreligious children. See Bengtson, Vern L., R. David Hayward, Phil Zuckerman, and Merril Silverstein. 2018. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1111\/jssr.12511\">Bringing Up Nones: Intergenerational Influences and Cohort Trends<\/a>.\u201d Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, 80% of parents who say that religion is either \u201cnot too important\u201d or \u201cnot at all important\u201d in their life have a teen who feels the same way, while 45% of parents who say religion is \u201cvery important\u201d have a teen who takes the same view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are among the key findings of a Pew Research Center survey of 1,811 teenagers, each of whom was interviewed along with one parent or legal guardian. To obtain parental consent and put families at ease about the content of the survey, the parent was asked to complete the survey first. Then the parent was encouraged to allow the teenager to take it independently, without coaching or other interference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The survey was conducted March 29 to April 14, 2019, long before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted attendance at many churches and other houses of worship. The questions were administered online, using the Ipsos KnowledgePanel. For more information on how this survey was conducted, including margins of sampling error, see the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/methodology-34\">Methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A previous Pew Research Center report, based on the same survey, examined teenagers\u2019 experiences with <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2019\/10\/03\/for-a-lot-of-american-teens-religion-is-a-regular-part-of-the-public-school-day\/\">religion in public schools<\/a>. This report focuses on the religious lives of teens and the family dynamics of religion, including the degree to which parents and teenagers share religious identities, beliefs and practices; how often they talk about religion, pray before meals and read scripture together; the reasons teenagers participate in religious activities; and the relative level of importance that parents ascribe to raising their children in their religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The survey included parents and teens from many religious backgrounds, but the sample did not include enough people in many U.S. religious groups to allow their views to be analyzed and reported separately. Among these groups are historically Black Protestant denominations, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Orthodox Christian churches, as well as Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and other non-Christian faiths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-style-callout has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-do-findings-about-teens-mean-for-the-future-of-religion-in-america\">What do findings about teens mean for the future of religion in America?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The adult population in the United States has been <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2019\/10\/17\/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace\/\">growing less religious<\/a> in recent decades \u2013 a trend driven in large part by young adults, who are much less likely than their elders to identify with a religious group or partake in traditional religious practices. But Pew Research Center\u2019s survey of U.S. teens finds that, religiously, those who are even younger \u2013 ages 13 to 17 \u2013 resemble their parents in some ways, particularly when it comes to rates of attendance at religious services. In addition, most U.S. teens are affiliated with a religion, and many engage in other family religious practices. This raises the question: Are America\u2019s youths set to halt or reverse the country\u2019s trend toward secularization?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not necessarily. While it is possible that these adolescents will ultimately be equally or more religious than current young adults, this survey neither supports nor contradicts such a hypothesis. In fact, previous research has suggested that much of the movement away from religion among young adults occurs <em>after<\/em> they come of age, move out of their childhood homes or otherwise gain a measure of independence from their parents.[2. Chan, Melissa, Kim M. Tsai, and Andrew J. Fuligni. 2015. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s10964-014-0157-0\">Changes in Religiosity Across the Transition to Young Adulthood<\/a>.\u201d Journal of Youth and Adolescence. Also see Lee, Bo Hyeong Jane, Lisa D. Pearce, and Kristen M. Schorpp. 2017. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5912683\/\">Religious Pathways from Adolescence to Adulthood<\/a>.\u201d Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Also see Bengtson, Vern L., Norella M. Putney, Merril Silverstein, and Susan C. Harris. 2015. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1111\/jssr.12183\">Does Religiousness Increase with Age? Age Changes and Generational Differences Over 35 Years<\/a>.\u201d Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.] This pattern fits a psychological model of religious and spiritual development that points to a post-adolescence trend toward autonomy.[3. Rydz, El\u017cbieta. 2014. \u201cDevelopment of Religiousness in Young Adults.\u201d In Adamczyk, Katarzyna, and Monika Wysota, eds. \u201cFunctioning of Young Adults in a Changing World.\u201d Also see Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen and Lene Arnett Jensen. 2002. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/279886891_A_congregation_of_one_Individualized_religious_beliefs_among_emerging_adults\">A Congregation of One: Individualized Religious Beliefs among Emerging Adults<\/a>.\u201d Journal of Adolescent Research.] In early adulthood, there seems to be a particularly large decline in the public aspects of religion \u2013 such as religious service participation \u2013 whereas more private aspects of religion, such as prayer and the personal importance of religion, decline more moderately.[4. Uecker, Jeremy E., Mark D. Regnerus, and Margaret L. Vaaler. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/sf\/article-abstract\/85\/4\/1667\/2234969?redirectedFrom=fulltext\">Losing My Religion: The Social Sources of Religion Decline in Early Adulthood<\/a>.\u201d Social Forces. Also see Barry, Carolyn McNamara, Larry Nelson, Sahar Davarya, and Shirene Urry. 2010. \u201c<a href=\"\/Users\/bwebster\/Dropbox\/Pew\/PF_20.09.12_teens\/Religiosity%20and%20spirituality%20during%20the%20transition%20to%20adulthood\">Religiosity and spirituality during the transition to adulthood<\/a>.\u201d International Journal of Behavioral Development.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some findings from the new survey are consistent with this pattern. For one, many teens say their participation in religious activities occurs mainly because of their parents\u2019 desires, not their own. And even though teens may attend religious worship services as often as their parents, they are less likely to say religion is very important in their lives. Moreover, consistent with previous research, the survey shows that religious attendance declines in the final two years of high school.[5. Regnerus, Mark D., and Jeremy E. Uecker. 2006. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/3512355?seq=1\">Finding Faith, Losing Faith: The Prevalence and Context of Religious Transformations during Adolescence<\/a>.\u201d Review of Religious Research.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Teens also look much less religious than their parents by more individual and private measures, such as how often they say they pray and the degree of importance they ascribe to religion in their lives. While private aspects of religion may be expected to decline more moderately than public aspects during young adulthood, it is possible that there may still be additional movement away from these individualized elements of religion ahead, after adolescents reach adulthood.[6. Chan, Melissa, Kim M. Tsai, and Andrew J. Fuligni. 2015. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s10964-014-0157-0\">Changes in Religiosity Across the Transition to Young Adulthood<\/a>.\u201d Journal of Youth and Adolescence.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In short, <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2018\/06\/13\/the-age-gap-in-religion-around-the-world\/\">religion varies across the life course<\/a>, often declining in late adolescence and early adulthood, and then increasing as people age, form new relationships, start their own families and mature into later adulthood.[7. Chan, Melissa, Kim M. Tsai, and Andrew J. Fuligni. 2015. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s10964-014-0157-0\">Changes in Religiosity Across the Transition to Young Adulthood<\/a>.\u201d Journal of Youth and Adolescence. Also see Wink, Paul, and Michele Dillon. 2002. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1023\/A:1013833419122\">Spiritual Development Across the Adult Life Course: Findings From a Longitudinal Study<\/a>.\u201d Journal of Adult Development.] Thus, the findings from Pew Research Center\u2019s survey of teenagers tell us a lot about the religion of contemporary U.S. adolescents, but should be cautiously applied to evaluations of the future of American religion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"many-teens-engage-in-religious-practices-with-their-family\">Many teens engage in religious practices with their family<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals\/pf_09-10-20_religion-teens-00-5-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"ecede8\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #ecede8;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-5.png?resize=480,449 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-5.png?resize=782,731 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-5.png?resize=836,782 836w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"393\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-5.png?w=836\" alt=\"About half of U.S. teens at least sometimes say grace before meals with their family\" class=\"wp-image-82694 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Teens may not always align with their parents \u2013 and vice versa \u2013 but, overall, many<em> do <\/em>engage with religion as a family practice. About six-in-ten teens (59%) say they often or sometimes talk about religion with their family, and roughly half of teens (48%) say they at least sometimes say grace or a blessing before family meals. A smaller share (25%) say they commonly read religious scripture as a family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The survey followed up on these practices by asking teens two separate questions. First, how much do they enjoy doing religious things with their family? And, second, to what extent do they participate in religious activities because their parents want them to? About three-quarters of teens who do religious things with their family say that these activities bring them \u201ca lot\u201d of enjoyment (27%) or \u201csome\u201d enjoyment (51%), while two-thirds say they participate partly or mostly at their parents\u2019 behest. Many teens express <em>both<\/em> sentiments; among teens who say they participate in family practices because their parents want them to, 79% also say that they get at least some enjoyment from it.[8. Teens who do religious things include those who say grace or read scriptures with their family, or those who say yes to a broader question: \u201cAside from saying grace and reading scriptures, do you ever do any other religious things with your family?\u201d See <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_teens.religion.topline.pdf\">topline<\/a> for more details.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps because attendance at religious services also tends to be a family activity, it\u2019s an area in which parents and teens are largely in sync. Among parents who say they attend religious services on a regular basis (at least once or twice a month), 88% have a teen who also reports attending that often. An almost identical share (89%) of parents who attend services infrequently (a few times a year, seldom or never) have a teen who does the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-310-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals\/pf_09-10-20_religion-teens-00-6-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"eeefed\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #eeefed;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-6.png?resize=480,643 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-6.png?resize=620,830 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"415\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-6.png?w=620\" alt=\"Most teens attend religious services with at least one parent\" class=\"wp-image-82691 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While this may be an example of teens taking religious cues from their parents, it may also be the result of the limited autonomy of teens who, in most cases, reside with at least one parent or guardian. The vast majority of teens who attend religious services \u2013 even just on rare occasions \u2013 say they do so with one or both of their parents, and they are about evenly split between saying they do so mainly because they want to (35% of all teens) and mainly because their parents want them to (38%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-310-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals\/pf_09-10-20_religion-teens-00-7-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"eeefee\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #eeefee;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-7.png?resize=480,580 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-7.png?resize=622,752 622w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"375\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-7.png?w=622\" alt=\"Teens less religious than their parents by some measures, but not worship attendance\" class=\"wp-image-82688 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Teens are more likely to stand out from their parents on measures of individual identity, belief and practice \u2013 areas in which they can more easily act independently. Despite similar rates of attendance at religious services, teens are far less likely than their parents to pray daily (27% of teens vs. 48% of parents), to say that religion is very important in their lives (24% vs. 43%) and to believe in God with absolute certainty (40% vs. 63%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"parents-more-likely-than-teens-to-be-highly-religious-on-religious-commitment-index\">Parents more likely than teens to be highly religious on religious commitment index<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When taken together, these four measures \u2013 religious service attendance, prayer, importance of religion and belief in God \u2013 constitute an <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2016\/02\/29\/how-religious-is-your-state\/?state=alabama\">index of traditional religious commitment<\/a>.[9. The index is created by combining four individual measures of religious observance: the self-assessed importance of religion in one\u2019s life, religious attendance, prayer and belief in God. Respondents are assigned a score of 1 on each of the four measures on which they exhibit a high level of religious observance, a score of 0 on each of the measures on which they exhibit a medium level of religious observance, and a score of -1 on each measure on which they exhibit a low level of religious observance.&nbsp;High religious observance is defined as saying religion is very important in one\u2019s life, attending religious services at least once a week, praying at least once a day, and believing in God with absolute certainty. Medium religious observance is defined as saying religion is somewhat important in one\u2019s life, attending religious services once or twice a month or a few times a year, praying between a few times a week and a few times a month, and believing in God with less than absolute certainty. Respondents also are assigned a medium score on any questions they decline to answer. Low religious observance is defined as saying that religion is \u201cnot too\u201d or \u201cnot at all\u201d important in one\u2019s life, seldom or never attending religious services, seldom or never praying, and saying that one does not believe in God.&nbsp;The scores for each of these four individual items are then summed; respondents who score a 2 or higher are categorized as \u201chigh\u201d on the scale (that is, they are \u201chighly religious\u201d), those who score between -1 and 1 are categorized as \u201cmedium\u201d on the scale, and those scoring -2 and below are categorized as \u201clow\u201d on the scale.&nbsp;Cronbach\u2019s alpha for the religious commitment scale for parents is 0.862 and is 0.85 for teens and neither scale is improved if any variable is removed.]&nbsp;Among the parents in this study, 48% score high on the religious commitment scale, 28%&nbsp; in the middle and 24% on the low end. By comparison, 34% of teens score high on the scale, 30% are in the middle and 36% are on the low end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-310-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals\/pf_09-10-20_religion-teens-00-8-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e3e8e9\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e3e8e9;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-8.png?resize=480,729 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-8.png?resize=616,936 616w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"471\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-8.png?w=616\" alt=\"Parents exhibit higher levels of overall religious commitment than teens\" class=\"wp-image-82686 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among parents who score on the high end, roughly six-in-ten (59%) have a teen who also is highly religious, and about a third (32%) have a teen who falls in the medium category. Meanwhile, the vast majority of parents who score low on the commitment index (83%) have a teen who also exhibits low levels of religious commitment; far fewer have teens who fall in the middle (12%) or on the high (5%) end of the scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While this analysis focuses primarily on the transmission of religion between one parent and their teen, it also is the case that the parent who took the survey may not be the only source of religion \u2013 or nonreligion \u2013 in a teen\u2019s household. Among parents who have a spouse or partner who shares their religious affiliation, nine-in-ten have a teen who also shares that same religious identity.[10. This aligns with international research on the intergenerational transmission of religion. Across nations, people tend to be more religious when they were raised by parents with similar religious beliefs, affiliations and levels of participation. See McPhail, Brian L. 2019. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/331107081_Religious_Heterogamy_and_the_Intergenerational_Transmission_of_Religion_A_Cross-National_Analysis#:~:text=This%20study%20examines%20the%20effect,one%20generation%20to%20the%20next.&amp;text=The%20results%20indicate%20that%20having,lower%20overall%20religiosity%20in%20respondents.\">Religious Heterogamy and the Intergenerational Transmission of Religion: A Cross-National Analysis<\/a>.\u201d Religions.]&nbsp;And among single parents (those not married or living with a partner), 76% have a teen who shares their religion. But interfaith households are less straightforward: Among parents whose spouse or partner does <em>not<\/em> share their religious identity, 56% have a teen who shares their religion, although in these cases it is possible that the teen shares the religion of the spouse or partner instead (see <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/shared-beliefs-between-parents-and-teens\">Chapter 5<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"few-differences-in-parent-teen-alignment-between-mothers-fathers-who-took-survey\">Few differences in parent-teen alignment between mothers, fathers who took survey<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals\/pf_09-10-20_religion-teens-00-9-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"eaebe6\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #eaebe6;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-9.png?resize=480,359 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-9.png?resize=782,585 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-9.png?resize=832,622 832w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"314\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-9.png?w=832\" alt=\"Teens no more likely to align with mom than dad, religiously\" class=\"wp-image-82683 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among the parents who took the survey, 57% were mothers and 43% were fathers.[11. The majority in each of these groups are biological, adoptive, step or foster mothers and fathers. Just 1% indicated that they were the partner of a biological or adopted parent, a grandparent or other legal guardian.]&nbsp;Previous research shows that when one parent is more involved in the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2016\/10\/26\/one-in-five-u-s-adults-were-raised-in-interfaith-homes\/\">religious upbringing of children<\/a>, it tends to be the mother. As a result, one might expect teens to align more closely, religiously, with their parent if it was their mother who took the survey. But that does not seem to be the case: 47% of teens whose mother took the survey say they share all of her religious beliefs, and 50% of teens whose father took the survey say the same about him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"two-thirds-of-teens-are-affiliated-with-a-religion-and-evangelicals-are-more-religious-than-others-by-traditional-measures\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Two-thirds of teens are affiliated with a religion \u2013 and evangelicals are more religious than others by traditional measures<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to being able to explore how teens and their parents experience religion together, this survey also allows for comparisons between different groups of teens. There is a plethora of research on religion among adults \u2013 including their affiliations, beliefs, practices and what religion they were raised in, if any \u2013 and how those religious ties shape social and political views and influence life decisions. There is less data in this field on younger generations, particularly on adolescents who are still forming their identities and gaining agency in their life choices.[12. Sociological data on religion among American teenagers has come primarily from the <a href=\"https:\/\/youthandreligion.nd.edu\/\">National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR)<\/a>, which fielded a national telephone survey of adolescents in 2002 and 2003, as well as three subsequent rounds of follow-up interviews with participants. Pew Research Center\u2019s survey explores several different aspects of adolescent religiosity, including many new questions about the role of religion in the family and teenagers\u2019 experiences with religion in public schools. In addition, there have been considerable changes in the U.S. religious landscape since the original NSYR survey nearly two decades ago. Most notably, contemporary teens are maturing in a context in which <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2019\/10\/17\/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace\/\">religiously unaffiliated Americans are far more numerous<\/a>.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the major Christian traditions are disaggregated and counted separately, \u201cnones\u201d (that is, those who say they are atheist, agnostic or \u201cnothing in particular\u201d) make up the single largest religious category among teens (32%). But two-thirds of adolescents are affiliated with a religion. About a quarter self-identify as Catholic, and 21% belong to the evangelical Protestant tradition. The rest are spread across a variety of other traditions \u2013 including mainline Protestantism, historically Black Protestantism, Judaism, Islam and others. (See <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/religious-affiliation-among-american-adolescents\">Chapter 1<\/a> for more details.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals\/pf_09-10-20_religion-teens-00-10-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f3f1f1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f3f1f1;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-10.png?resize=480,307 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-10.png?resize=782,500 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-10.png?resize=960,614 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-10.png?resize=1200,767 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-10.png?resize=1270,812 1270w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"409\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-10.png?w=1024\" alt=\"One-third of teens surveyed are religious \u2018nones\u2019\" class=\"wp-image-82628 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On each of the traditional religious commitment measures in this survey \u2013 religious importance, belief in God, religious service attendance and prayer \u2013 evangelical Protestant teens stand out from other adolescents.[13. This aligns with social scientific research by Christian Smith. His work shows that evangelical Protestant adults tend to be more religious than other Americans on most standard measures of Christian religiosity. See Smith, Christian. 1998. \u201cAmerican Evangelicalism Embattled and Thriving.\u201d Smith also found similar patterns among American adolescents using a survey fielded in 2002 and 2003. See Smith, Christian, and Melinda Lundquist Denton. 2005. \u201cSoul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers.\u201d] About half of evangelical teens (48%) say that religion is very important in their lives, far higher than the share of Catholics (27%), mainline Protestants (25%) and religious \u201cnones\u201d (2%) who say the same. Evangelical teens are similar to those in other Christian traditions in the overall share who believe in God, but they are far more likely to express <em>absolute certainty<\/em> about God\u2019s existence (71%) than are mainline (49%) or Catholic teens (45%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals\/pf_09-10-20_religion-teens-00-11-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f0f1ec\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f0f1ec;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-11.png?resize=480,258 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-11.png?resize=782,420 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-11.png?resize=960,516 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-11.png?resize=1200,645 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-11.png?resize=1266,680 1266w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"344\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-11.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Evangelical teens stand out on religious beliefs and practices\" class=\"wp-image-82676 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Furthermore, at least half of evangelical Protestant teens say they attend church weekly or more often (64%) and pray at least daily (51%), while smaller shares of mainline Protestants, Catholics and religiously unaffiliated teens say the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Evangelical Protestant teens also stand out from the other groups analyzed in this survey on how they engage in religious practices with their family. Eight-in-ten or more report that they often or sometimes say grace before meals with their family and talk with their family about religion. About half say they at least sometimes read religious scriptures with their family, and about nine-in-ten say they enjoy doing religious things with their family a lot (34%) or some (54%). (See <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/family-religious-practices\">Chapter 4<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"u-s-teens-tend-toward-an-inclusive-view-of-religion\">U.S. teens tend toward an inclusive view of religion<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Teens broadly show an openness to the possibility that there is truth in multiple faiths and that people can be moral without believing in God. <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2019\/12\/17\/5-gender-family-and-marriage-same-sex-marriage-and-religion\/#views-on-belief-in-god-and-morality\">Like American adults<\/a>, most U.S. adolescents say that it is <em>not<\/em> necessary to believe in God in order to be moral and have good values. Majorities of teenage Catholics, mainline Protestants and religious \u201cnones\u201d take this position. By contrast, evangelical Protestant teens tilt in the opposite direction: 60% say that believing in God is necessary for morality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals\/pf_09-10-20_religion-teens-00-12-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"efefe9\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #efefe9;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-12.png?resize=480,281 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-12.png?resize=782,458 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-12.png?resize=960,562 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-12.png?resize=1200,703 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-12.png?resize=1264,740 1264w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"375\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-12.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Most evangelical teens say it is necessary to believe in God to be moral, only one religion is true\" class=\"wp-image-82672 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is a similar pattern on the question of whether truth can be found in just one religion or in many. Two-thirds of evangelical teens in the U.S. hold the view that only one religion is true, while far fewer Catholics (31%), mainline Protestants (28%) and \u201cnones\u201d (6%) share that position. In fact, many teenage \u201cnones\u201d say there is little truth (27%) or no truth (21%) in <em>any<\/em> religion (see <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/religious-beliefs-among-american-adolescents\">Chapter 2<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"teens-engagement-with-big-questions-about-the-world\">Teens\u2019 engagement with big questions about the world<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to measuring traditional religious practices, the survey also sought to explore other possible ways teens may engage with spirituality or big questions about the world \u2013 including feeling a strong sense of gratitude, feeling a deep sense of spiritual peace or well-being, thinking about the meaning and purpose of life, and feeling a deep sense of wonder about the universe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals\/pf_09-10-20_religion-teens-00-13-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"edeee7\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #edeee7;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-13.png?resize=480,280 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-13.png?resize=782,456 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-13.png?resize=960,560 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-13.png?resize=1200,700 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-13.png?resize=1272,742 1272w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"373\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-13.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Religious \u2018nones\u2019 as likely as other teens to report feeling a deep sense of wonder about the universe\" class=\"wp-image-82668 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About eight-in-ten teens say they feel a strong sense of gratitude at least once or twice a month. Fewer feel a deep sense of spiritual peace and well-being (50%) and say they think about the meaning and purpose of life with the same frequency (46%), while four-in-ten report feeling a deep sense of wonder about the universe at least monthly. (See <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/teens-religious-practices\">Chapter 3<\/a> for full responses.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Evangelical teens are considerably more likely than others to say they regularly feel a deep sense of spiritual peace; 70% say they do, compared with 54% of both Catholics and mainline Protestants and 31% of unaffiliated teens who say this. On other measures, differences across religious traditions are smaller. Religious \u201cnones\u201d are not substantially more likely than other teens to report any of these experiences<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other key findings from the survey include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-310-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals\/pf_09-10-20_religion-teens-00-14-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f1f1f1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f1f1f1;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-14.png?resize=480,789 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-14.png?resize=624,1026 624w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"510\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-14.png?w=623\" alt=\"Teenage girls no more religious than boys, but more likely to attend religious youth group\" class=\"wp-image-82664 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Most U.S. teens (60%) say they have participated in a religious education program, such as Sunday school or Hebrew school, including 29% who say they continue to participate often or sometimes. And about half (51%) say they have been part of a religious youth group. Evangelical Protestant teens are more likely than teens in other religious groups to say they still participate in a religious education program (57%) or religious youth group (64%) at least sometimes. While most religiously unaffiliated teens say they have not participated in these activities, 32% say that they have received religious education at some point, and 27% say that they have participated in a religious youth group, even if they no longer do so (see <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/teens-religious-practices\">Chapter 3<\/a>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><p>Among adults, <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2016\/03\/22\/the-gender-gap-in-religion-around-the-world\/\">women tend to be more religious than men<\/a>, but this gap isn\u2019t nearly as pronounced among teens. Adolescent boys and girls are equally likely to be religiously affiliated, say religion is very important in their lives, pray daily and say they regularly attend religious services. Furthermore, roughly six-in-ten teenage boys (58%) and girls (61%) say they have ever been in a religious education program. Girls do stand out, however, on religious youth group participation: 57% say they have participated in a religious youth group, compared with 44% of boys who say the same.<\/p><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Teens are split on their primary reason for attending religious services: 38% say they attend mainly because their parents want them to, while 35% say they attend mainly because they want to. Roughly a quarter (26%) say they never attend worship services. Unlike Catholics and mainline Protestants, most evangelical Protestant teens (64%) say they attend services mainly because they want to.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When making decisions about what is right and wrong, religious \u201cnones\u201d are less likely than religiously affiliated teens to say they rely a lot not only on religious leaders but also on parents and other family members. Evangelical Protestant teens are more likely than other religiously affiliated teens to look to religious leaders or religious teachings and beliefs when making ethical decisions (see <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/religious-beliefs-among-american-adolescents\">Chapter 2<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals\/pf_09-10-20_religion-teens-00-15-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"ededeb\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #ededeb;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-15.png?resize=480,208 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-15.png?resize=782,339 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-15.png?resize=960,416 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-15.png?resize=1200,520 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-15.png?resize=1264,548 1264w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"277\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-15.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Affiliated teens more likely than religious \u2018nones\u2019 to turn to family, religious leaders for moral guidance\" class=\"wp-image-82660 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals\/pf_09-10-20_religion-teens-00-16-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e8ecee\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e8ecee;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-16.png?resize=480,488 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-16.png?resize=782,795 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-16.png?resize=832,846 832w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"427\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_religion.teens-00-16.png?w=832\" alt=\"Evangelical parents more likely than others to say it is very important to raise their child in their religion\" class=\"wp-image-82656 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><figure><span style=\"font-size: revert;color: var(--wp--preset--color--ui-text-color);font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--georgia)\">Evangelical parents are more likely than other parents of teens to say it is very important that their teen is raised in their religion (71%) and that their teen marries someone in their religion (53%). Overall, 55% of parents with a religious affiliation say it is very important to raise their teen in their religion, while about a third (36%) say it is important that their child eventually marries within their faith. Parents are more likely to prize several other qualities or outcomes \u2013 such as financial success \u2013 for their children (see <\/span><a style=\"font-size: revert;font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--georgia)\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/what-do-parents-want-for-their-teens\">Chapter 6<\/a><span style=\"font-size: revert;color: var(--wp--preset--color--ui-text-color);font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--georgia)\">)<\/span><span style=\"color: var(--wp--preset--color--ui-text-color);font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--georgia);font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small)\">.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><figure><span style=\"color: var(--wp--preset--color--ui-text-color);font-family: var(--wp--preset--font-family--georgia);font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small)\">On most standard measures of religious commitment, there is no clear pattern of teens becoming less religious as they advance through school. But it does appear that teens in higher grades are somewhat less likely to say they regularly attend religious services. Among teens in 11th or 12th grade, 38% attend services at least once or twice a month; by comparison, fully half of teens in 8th grade or lower attend with the same frequency.<\/span><\/figure><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Teens whose parents identify with or lean toward the Republican Party seem to be more religiously engaged by some measures than those whose parent is a Democrat or Democratic-leaner. Teens with Republican parents are more likely to say they attend religious services weekly or more often, participate in religious education programs often or sometimes, and go to religious youth group at least sometimes. They also are more likely to pray daily, say religion is very important in their lives, and to talk to their family about religion, say grace and read scripture with their family at least sometimes. And these patterns hold even when the analysis is limited to teens who are religiously affiliated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;roadmap-to-the-report&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"roadmap-to-the-report\"><a name=\"_Toc48908823\"><\/a>Roadmap to the report<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The rest of this report explores these findings in more detail. <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/religious-affiliation-among-american-adolescents\">Chapter 1<\/a> looks at teenagers\u2019 and their parents\u2019 religious affiliations. <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/religious-beliefs-among-american-adolescents\">Chapter 2<\/a> takes a closer look at religious beliefs, while <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/teens-religious-practices\">Chapter 3<\/a> discusses religious practices. <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/family-religious-practices\">Chapter 4<\/a> explores how teens practice religion with their family, and <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/shared-beliefs-between-parents-and-teens\">Chapter 5<\/a> examines how teens and their parents perceive their beliefs as being similar or different. Finally, <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/what-do-parents-want-for-their-teens\">Chapter 6<\/a> looks at what parents want for their teens \u2013 in terms of personal qualities, career success and religion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>American adolescents often participate at parents\u2019 behest, and tend to be less religious in more personal, private ways.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":367,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sub_headline":"But American adolescents often participate at parents\u2019 behest, and tend to be less religious in more personal, private ways","sub_title":"But American adolescents often participate at parents\u2019 behest, and tend to be less religious in more personal, private ways","_crdt_document":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","relatedPosts":[],"reportMaterials":[{"key":"f454ba97-6f3e-4475-93fe-1cd0aa8abc9d","type":"report","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_20.09.10_teens.religion.full_.report.pdf","attachmentId":82633},{"key":"c93054cf-ea0e-46fe-85b6-420cce3a1bcc","type":"topline","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_09.10.20_teens.religion.topline.pdf","attachmentId":82653}],"multiSectionReport":[{"key":"_migrate_0","postId":71222},{"key":"_migrate_1","postId":71095},{"key":"_migrate_2","postId":71089},{"key":"_migrate_3","postId":71056},{"key":"_migrate_4","postId":71074},{"key":"_migrate_5","postId":71065},{"key":"_migrate_6","postId":71212},{"key":"_migrate_7","postId":71039}],"package_parts__enabled":false,"package_parts":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0,"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"bylines":[],"acknowledgements":[],"displayBylines":false,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[]},"categories":[161,228,435,206],"tags":[],"bylines":[],"collection":[],"datasets":[1731],"level_of_effort":[],"primary_audience":[],"information_type":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[458],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[],"research-teams":[517],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-71231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-beliefs-practices","category-parenthood","category-religious-commitment","category-teens-youth","datasets-2019-survey-of-religion-among-u-s-teens-and-their-parents","formats-report","research-teams-religion"],"label":false,"post_parent":0,"word_count":4961,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals\/","art_direction":{"A1":{"id":82634,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_20.09.12_teens_featured-jpg.webp","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_20.09.12_teens_featured-jpg.webp?w=564&h=317&crop=1","width":564,"height":317,"chartArt":false},"A2":{"id":82634,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_20.09.12_teens_featured-jpg.webp","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_20.09.12_teens_featured-jpg.webp?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"A3":{"id":82634,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_20.09.12_teens_featured-jpg.webp","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_20.09.12_teens_featured-jpg.webp?w=194&h=110&crop=1","width":194,"height":110,"chartArt":false},"A4":{"id":82634,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_20.09.12_teens_featured-jpg.webp","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_20.09.12_teens_featured-jpg.webp?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"XL":{"id":82634,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_20.09.12_teens_featured-jpg.webp","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_20.09.12_teens_featured-jpg.webp?w=720&h=405&crop=1","width":720,"height":405,"chartArt":false},"social":{"id":82634,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_20.09.12_teens_featured-jpg.webp","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/PF_20.09.12_teens_featured-jpg.webp?w=1200&h=628&crop=1","width":1200,"height":628,"chartArt":false}},"_embeds":[],"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[{"id":71231,"title":"U.S. Teens Take After Their Parents Religiously, Attend Services Together and Enjoy Family Rituals","slug":"u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/u-s-teens-take-after-their-parents-religiously-attend-services-together-and-enjoy-family-rituals\/","is_active":true},{"id":71222,"title":"1. Religious affiliation among American adolescents","slug":"religious-affiliation-among-american-adolescents","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/religious-affiliation-among-american-adolescents\/","is_active":false},{"id":71095,"title":"2. Religious beliefs among American adolescents","slug":"religious-beliefs-among-american-adolescents","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/religious-beliefs-among-american-adolescents\/","is_active":false},{"id":71089,"title":"3. Teens\u2019 religious practices","slug":"teens-religious-practices","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/teens-religious-practices\/","is_active":false},{"id":71056,"title":"4. Family religious practices","slug":"family-religious-practices","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2020\/09\/10\/family-religious-practices\/","is_active":false},{"id":71074,"title":"5. 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