FRUITS OF MORMONISM: “MORMON TEENS COPE BEST”

Thousands of us have observed and sometimes helped in programs ranging from Family Home Evenings to Scouts to various volunteer teaching programs intended to help young people plan for the future and resist temptations of the moment.

Thus we were pleased that the Lilly Foundation gave $4 million for a high quality study of American teens to the University of North Carolina, under the direction of prominent sociologist Christian Smith. They did thousands of random teen phone interviews and hundreds of face to face interviews.

The results of this groundbreaking study of religions of teen agers can be read in Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers by Professor Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton (Oxford University Press).

A summary article entitled “Mormon teens cope best: Study finds they top peers at handling adolescence” concluded that “Mormons fared best at avoiding risky behaviors, doing well in school and having a positive attitude about the future. Conservative Protestants came in second.”

“’Across almost every category we looked at, there was a clear pattern: Mormons were first,’ said Steve Vaisey, one of the researchers involved in the study and the person who interviewed most of the Mormon youths.”

Given the enormous pressures on today’s youth to fall into drugs, alcoholism, licentiousness, cheating, deceiving, stealing and avoidance of planning, study, work and responsibility, Mormon youth demonstrate the goals and strength of character to eschew these dangerous pursuits. This is a remarkable example of the fruits of Mormonism.

Furthermore, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life produced “A Portrait of Mormons in the U.S.” which reported that Mormons are 20% more likely to have college education at a 60% level than the general population at a 50% level. Those who were born in the Church had an even higher level of college education at 64% which is 28% higher than the general population. Link http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=427.

Many parents would give a lot to raise children with these characteristics. There is a Church that can help them benefit from this example of the fruits of Mormonism.

To read the full article, see Yonat Shimron, Staff Writer, “Mormon teens cope best: Study finds they top peers at handling adolescence”, newsobserver.com, March 13, 2005.