FoC 169: What Science Says About Our Kids Keeping the Faith with Dr. Amy Adamczyk

Many Catholic parents wonder, will our kids stay Catholic? How likely is it that faith can be handed down to the next generation? Are certain parenting methods more or less effective in raising children who will practice faith when they are grown? What practices matter and how much influence do parents have? Dr. Amy Adamczyk and Chris Smith actually looked at the data and conducted hundreds of interviews with religious families to find out the answers to those questions. The results are fascinating!

Dr. Amy Adamczyk is Professor of Sociology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the Programs of Doctoral Study in Sociology and Criminal Justice at The Graduate Center, City University of New York. Her research focuses on how different contexts (e.g. nations, counties, friendship groups), and personal religious beliefs shape people’s attitudes and behaviors. She has published over 50 journal articles and her first book, Cross-national Public Opinion about Homosexuality, received the 2018 Outstanding Book Award from the International Section of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. Her second book, Handing Down the Faith: How Parents Pass Their Religion on to the Next Generation, (coauthored with Chris Smith) was published by Oxford University Press in 2021. Currently, she is conducting research for her third book, which will examine differences in views about abortion around the world.

In this episode we ask Dr. Adamczyk how likely it is for religious parents to successfully pass on their faith (spoiler: very likely!) and we discuss what relationships and attitudes are key. We talk about the difference between authoritarian and authoritative parenting styles and which is most effective if we want our children to adopt our religious faith as their own. While religious parents often carry a lot of worry about whether their children will participate in religion as grown ups, we think that what Dr. Adamcyzk’s research unearthed will actually set your mind at ease. It’s an interesting and enlightening conversation and we think you’ll really enjoy it!

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