Religious Heterogamy and the Intergenerational Transmission of Religion in China
Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
Published online on September 07, 2020
Abstract
["Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Volume 59, Issue 3, Page 439-454, September 2020. ", "\nAbstract\nIn 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.\n"]