Catholicism and Fertility: On Attitudes of Young Americans

Recent analyses of fertility differences between Catholics and non-Catholics in the United States disagree as to whether convergence has occurred. The present paper examines a new study containing data on this issue--a 1980 survey of male and female sophomores and seniors in public and private high schools in the country. The study provides information on fertility-related variables among a young population whose actual fertility still lies ahead. The analyses of these responses make it possible to distinguish degrees of religiousness among Catholics by using frequency of church attendance and a self-rating of religiousness. In addition to a variety of background questions on their parents and households students answered numerous behavioral and attitudinal questions. Among these 4 were directly related to fertility: family size expectations a rating of the importance of having children knowledge of birth control and an evaluation of the working mother. The analysis supports the conclusion that differences between Catholics and non-Catholics in fertility-related variables persist. Practising Catholics as compared with non-Catholics expect larger families rate having children as more important are more traditional in defining the maternal role and know less about birth control. By and large practising religious Catholics who attend Catholic schools diverge the most from non-Catholics in their resonses to fertility-related questions. Being a practising Catholic therefore seems to be relevant to feertility. However although practising religuious Catholics expect approximately 20% higher fertility than non-Catholics the fact that the differential is nnot greater suggests that socialization in most Catholic families is tempered by the same influences that impinge on non-Catholic families. (summaries in ENG FRE SPA)