Religious Heterogamy and the Intergenerational Transmission of Religion in China

2020/07/18 by Brian L. McPhail, Fenggang Yang
Social Sciences · #Religion and Society Interactions #Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology #Marriage and Sexual Relationships

paper · doi:10.1111/jssr.12667

Abstract

Abstract In Western societies, religious heterogamy and its effects on religious socialization outcomes have been interpreted through the lens of secularization. How about China, where religion has been resurging in recent decades? Using data from the 2007 Spiritual Life Survey of Chinese Residents, this study shows that despite China's atheist education system and strict religion policies, having at least one religiously affiliated parent is associated with increased religiosity compared to having two nonreligious parents. Whereas religious heterogamy in the West has a secularizing effect on the next generation, religious heterogamy in secular nations, such as China, has a religionizing effect and contributes to religion's rise.

Citations

• Gender and Religiousness: Can Socialization Explanations Be Saved?
• Parents' Religious Heterogamy and Children's Well‐Being
• Predictors of Religiosity Among Youth Aged 17–22: A Longitudinal Study of the National Survey of Children

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