ABSTRACT

After a significant period of marginalization, the social scientific study of religion, especially in the lives of youth, has experienced a resurgence. A renewed interest in the social importance of religion stems from the growing acknowledgement that religion persists and matters for global, local, and individual identity, social relationships, and well-being. For this chapter, we focus on religiosity in youth, or more specifically adolescence, which we define as the second decade of life (ages 10-20). Adolescence is a time in the life course for which the study of religion is particularly important for two reasons. First, the confluence of dramatic biological, psychological, social, and economic changes in adolescence suggests this is a prime time of life for religious or spiritual change and development. Further motivating the study of religiosity among youth is the question of whether religion might serve as a protective factor in the face of the challenges of adolescence. In this chapter, we review the current state of three primary streams of research on religiosity and youth:

& the extent to which young people are religious; & factors that shape youth religiosity; & the influence of religion in the lives of young people.