Patterns of Contraceptive Use in the United States: The Importance of Religious Factors

TLDR

Previous research shows that major U.S. religious communities have lowered expected family size, yet distinct contraceptive use patterns persist among Catholics, Protestants, Jews, and non‑religious individuals. This study analyzes Cycle IV of the National Survey of Family Growth (1988) to extend prior work by comparing late‑1980s contraceptive use and fertility expectations with earlier cohorts dating back to the 1960s. The analysis expands religious affiliation categories to specific denominations and measures of religiosity, and examines these variables across black, Hispanic, and non‑Hispanic white women.

Abstract

Previous research has shown that the major religious communities in the US have all shifted their expected family size downward but significant differences in contraceptive use styles continue to characterize Catholics, Protestants, Jews, and those of no religious affiliation. This paper examines data from Cycle IV of the National Survey of Family Growth (1988) to extend the time period covered by previous research by comparing the emerging contraceptive use patterns and fertility expectations among women in the late 1980s with earlier cohorts from previous national studies, beginning in the 1960s. The categories of religious affiliation are extended to include specific religious denominations (fundamentalist Protestants, Baptists, and other denominations, as well as Mormons) and include measures of religiosity--church attendance, the extent of receiving communion among Catholics, and attendance at church-related schools. These data are examined for blacks, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic whites. The analysis suggests how religious affiliation and religiosity continue to be important factors in the contraceptive paths to low fertility under general conditions of controlled fertility and in the context of secularization.