Document Type
Honors Thesis
Abstract
This research examines how the frequency of religious attendance impacts views on gender roles and sexuality in Christian subgroups in the United States. Prior research on the varying worldviews of American Christians has revealed a diverse group of opinions that cannot be explained solely by denominational affiliation. Based on social identity theory, this study explores whether the frequency of attendance at religious services influences congregants’ beliefs on six issues: legalization of gay marriage, the acceptance of homosexuality in society, the acceptance of transgender people, whether a parent should stay home with the children, which parent should stay home, and women in the workforce. Based on data from the Pew Religious Landscape survey (n = 36,000), binary logistic regression models are employed to demonstrate a correlation between church attendance and traditionally conservative views on gender roles and human sexuality within different Christian subgroups. This includes the Mainline, Evangelical, Catholic, Black Protestant, Latter Day Saints, Orthodox, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and “Other” Christian subgroups. However, this relationship is insignificant for many mainline and “Other” Christian respondents. This relationship is also unimportant in many gender role survey questions, suggesting the attendance effect is more significant for conservative traditions and sexuality-related questions. Clarity on how these patterns function is crucial for understanding how religiosity influences social attitudes in America’s diverse Christian landscape.
Disciplines
American Politics | Christianity | Gender and Sexuality | Models and Methods | Social Statistics
Publication Date
2025
Language
English
Faculty Mentor of Honors Project
Mark Hand
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Goodrich, Derek D., "Church Attendance, Gender Roles, and Human Sexuality" (2025). 2025 Fall Honors Capstones Projects. 4.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/honors_fall2025/4
Included in
American Politics Commons, Christianity Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, Models and Methods Commons, Social Statistics Commons