IRN News Digest – Members Ron McGatlin Apr 29, 2002

IRN NEWS DIGEST

A recently published study questions the idea that teenagers are not interested in religion.

The American study “Youth and Religion”, commissioned by the University of Pennsylvania, asked 11- to 18-year-olds about their thoughts about God. Most of them answered “God is important in my life”, and almost half visited Christian services at least 3 times each month.

“There is no sign that youths are avoiding church,” says George Gallup Jr., Chairman of the Gallup Institute in Princeton, New Jersey. Richard Gelles, co-author of the study, adds that “the image of the hedonistic and thoughtless teen is not accurate. The public and media think that the young generation is increasingly distancing itself from religion. That is untrue.” One surprising fact revealed by the study is that the wealthier and better educated the parents, the more likely it is that a youth in the USA is religiously active.

Source: Gallup, Times-Union, Charisma News