Is religion a barrier to integration? Religiosity, sociocultural integration, and educational attainments among Muslim and non-Muslim immigrant origin youth in Norway

Using the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study in Norway, linking survey data from upper-secondary school to register data on educational outcomes in early adulthood, we explore how religious affiliation, religious salience, and religious practices are associated with various integration outcomes for immigrant-origin youth. We find that religiosity – particularly among Muslims – has a dual relationship to integration. On the one hand, religiosity is associated with more conservative views on gender and homosexuality and fewer friendship ties with ethnic majority peers. On the other, it is largely decoupled from national identity, and religious practices are positively associated with secondary school completion and tertiary-education enrollment. Results suggest that although religiosity can be a barrier to sociocultural integration, it may simultaneously be a positive resource driving educational attainment. Whereas the negative association between religiosity and sociocultural integration is most prominent for girls, the positive association between religiosity and education is most prominent for boys.