> What is your source for this? According to a November 12, 1999 Associated > Press > article, those in the "bible belt" had the highest divorce rate.
Herb: Some literature on divorce and religion in the US: 1. People who are members of churches and who attend services are less likely to divorce than are nonmembers [Breault, K.D. & Kposowa, A. J. 1987. "Explaining divorce in the United States: A study of 3,111 Counties, 1980." Journal of Marriage and the Family, 49:549-558.] [Krishnan, V. 1994. "The impact of wives' employment on attitude toward divorce." Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 22:87-101.] [Amato, P. R. & Rogers, S. J. 1997. "A longitudinal study of marital problems and subsequent divorce." Journal of Marriage and the Family, 59:612-624.] 2. Episcopalians and Presbyterians have lower rates of divorce than Baptists and Pentecostals. While the Baptists and Pentecostals generally espouse more "traditional/conservative" theology, they also tend to be more populated with low SES couples. SES has been posited as the most influential demographic factor in divorce rates [e.g., Hernandez, D. 1993. "When families break up." In US Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, series P20, no. 478. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.] Baptists and Pentecostals still evidence substantially lower divorce rates than among those with no religion at all. [Glenn, N.D., & Supancic, M. 1984. "The social and demographic correlates of divorce and separation in the United States: An update and reconsideration." Journal of Marriage and the Family, 46, 563-575.] 3. Frequency of attendance at religious services is associated with frequency of divorce and/or separation: How often do you go to church (all statistics are rounded)? "Never" - 34% (divorce/separation rate) "Less than yearly" - 32% "Once or twice yearly" - 27% "About once a month" - 24% "2-3 times a month" - 11% "Nearly every week" - 11% "Weekly" - 12% "Several times weekly" - 12% [Source: Glenn, N.D., & Supancic, M. 1984. "The social and demographic correlates of divorce and separation in the United States: An update and reconsideration." Journal of Marriage and the Family, 46, 563-575.] That's all I got for right now. I can dig up more if you'd like. Jim Guinee, Ph.D. Univ of Central Arkansas P.S. Found this study as I was getting ready to hit "send": While a little dated compared to the Assoc'd Press, nonetheless Glenn & Shelton (1985) do affirm that regional differences do evidence different divorce rates. They found that rates increase from east to west, and from north to south. They also concluded that the West has the highest divorce rate, and the next highest is the South. ["Regional differences in divorce in the United States." Journal of Marriage and the Family, 47, 741-752.] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
