The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

Researchers have found that religious affiliation, religious attendance, religious beliefs, and prayer are associated with teen sexual attitudes and behavior.(Wallace & Williams, 1997; Whitehead, Wilcox, & Rostosky, 2001) Holding strong religious beliefs and praying are linked to reduced sexual activity among adolescents (Meier, 2003; Resnick et al., 1997) and teens (girls in particular) from more conservative religious denominations (including conservative Protestants and Fundamentalists) tend to begin having sexual intercourse at later ages than do teens of other religious denominations. (Bearman & Brückner, 1999; Rostosky, 2004) Some research suggests that adolescents who report any religious affiliation are less likely to have sexual intercourse than teens who are not affiliated with a religious group. (Casper, 1990; Thornton & Camburn, 1989; Whitehead et al., 2001) Other research notes that religious attendance may be a more important antecedent of sexual behavior than religious affiliation. (Studer & Thornton, 1987; Thornton & Camburn, 1989) In particular, frequent attendance at religious services is associated with delayed sexual initiation, especially among females.(Rostosky, 2004)