Can Religion Offset the Effects of Childhood Poverty?
Can Religion Offset the Effects of Childhood Poverty (NYT)
Some professors have written a working paper entitled, “The Role of Religious and Social Organizations in the Lives of Disadvantaged Youth.” They tested the impact of religion on more than 20,000 children raised by disadvantaged parents.
“Overall, we find strong evidence that youth with religiously active parents are less affected later in life by childhood disadvantage than youth whose parents did not frequently attend religious services. These buffering effects of religious organizations are most pronounced when outcomes are measured by high school graduation or non-smoking and when disadvantage is measured by family resources or maternal education…”
While City House focuses on spirituality rather than religion, religion is often the form in which spirituality is experienced for many.
