Family Behaviors among Early U.S. Baby Boomers: Exploring the Effects of Religion and Income Change, 1965-1982

Abstract

This article explores the interrelationships of religion, income, and family behaviors to evaluate culture “war” and “toolkit” theories. In analyzing a 1965–82 panel study of early U.S. baby boomers, analyses revealed that (1) while religious beliefs did not affect involvement in children's education, contact with parents, or incidence of divorce, regular worship attendance clustered with greater involvement in children's education, frequent parent contact, and staying married; (2) possessing an upper income, and rising to one especially, is associated with a doubled to quadrupled likelihood of divorce; (3) religion and income demonstrate significant associations with family behavior, even in controlled multivariate analyses. Results imply the culture war model is overstated, while the cultural toolkit model offers a more plausible explanation for simultaneous ideological contestation and behavioral conformity.