Secularization, Higher Education, and Religiosity

Abstract

This paper examines the secularization thesis in terms of the relationship between level of education and various measures of religiosity. National data indicate a negative relationship: the most educated are the least religious. Within denominations, however, there is a positive relationship between education and church attendance. Among Mormons, this positive relationship is also found for other measures of religiosity. Possible explanations for the positive relationship support the conclusion that higher education does not have a secularizing influence on Mormons