Religion and Attitudes Toward Divorce Laws Among U.S. Adults

Charles E. Stokes · Christopher G. Ellison

30 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Family Issues

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Family Dynamics and Relationships Family and Matrimonial Law Religion and Society Interactions

Abstract

This study examines religious differences in attitudes toward divorce laws among U.S. adults. Using pooled data from the 2000-2006 NORC General Social Surveys ( N = 5,683), we find that frequency of religious attendance and belief that the Bible is the Word of God are strong predictors of support for stricter laws governing divorce. Indeed, these religious indicators are much more important than conservative affiliation. Conversely, more secular individuals, that is, those who do not attend religious services and consider the Bible only a book of fables and moral teachings, are substantially less supportive of tightening existing divorce laws. Understanding the role of religion in shaping Americans’ attitudes toward divorce laws can illuminate the scope and boundaries of connections between the institutions of marriage and religion in the contemporary United States as well as inform policy implications for the future of divorce law reform.

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1983Is There a Text in This Class? The Authority of Interpretive Communities 2000The Measure of American Religion: Toward Improving the State of the Art 2004The deinstitutionalization of American marriage 1992Culture wars: the struggle to define America 1991Religious Involvement and Subjective Well-Being 1988The Restructuring of American Religion 2001Four Decades of Trends in Attitudes Toward Family Issues in the United States: The 1960s Through the 1990s 2002Why More Americans Have No Religious Preference: Politics and Generations

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2019Divorce Attitudes Among Older Adults: Two Decades of Change 2014Religion and Families 2016Narrating and Navigating Authorities: Evangelical and Mainline Protestant Interpretations of the Bible and Science

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