RELIGIOUS BELIEF, TRANSMISSION, AND THE FAMILY - AN AUSTRALIAN STUDY

Using a nationally representative sample of adult respondents and thei r parents, this study examines the degree to which sociodemographic ba ckground, childhood home environment, and parental religiosity affect the religious beliefs of Australian men and women. Results indicate su bstantial parental prediction of religious belief, particularly in rel ation to the religious supervision and religious commitment of mothers , and the moral supervision and religious commitment of fathers during childhood Thus, while mothers and fathers differ somewhat in terms of the mechanics of their transmission of religious values to their chil dren, parental influence remains the prime predictor of current religi ous belief among Australian adults. This is in contrast to both sociod emographic background and the general home environment, which, with fe w exceptions, fails to predict the current religious belief of Austral ian respondents.