Protestant Fathers Come Out on Top in Survey
by AFA Journal
August 9, 2004
(AgapePress) - New research shows that men are more involved and attentive as husbands and fathers if they are religious -- and specifically evangelical Protestants.According to an article in USA Today, "Though they favor a patriarchal family structure, evangelical Protestant men who attend church regularly scored higher on several national surveys that evaluated levels of family involvement and affection than did men from other religious groups and men who consider themselves religiously unaffiliated."
Data was analyzed after being collected from three surveys conducted more than once during 1972-1999. The surveys "examined behaviors and attitudes toward family and gender among different religious groups including Catholics and Protestant Christian denominations, Jews, Muslims and others."
Of the groups surveyed, churchgoing Protestants, especially evangelicals, ranked higher in family involvement and lower in domestic violence. Those categorized as evangelical Protestants include Assemblies of God, Southern Baptists, and nondenominational evangelical churches.
Evangelical Protestants hold a traditional social approach contrary to popular culture. Although these traditional values act as a shield to the corrupt culture, they also indicate reluctance on the part of men to share domestic responsibilities.
"Fifty-eight percent of evangelical Protestant men, compared with 37 percent of those who said they were unaffiliated with a religion, believe that men should focus on breadwinning while women focus on homemaking," the article said.
This article appeared in the August 2004 issue of AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association.
