National Study of Youth and Religion

Youth Ministry and the Socioreligious Lives of Hispanic and Whilte Catholic Teens in the U.S.

The National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) covered all 50 states and included English and Spanish-speaking teens and parents living in households with at least one telephone. With sample sizes of 498 White and 238 Hispanic Catholic teens, the responses reliably describe these populations within ±4% and ±5%, respectively.

Two of the findings include:

The majority of Hispanic and White Catholic adolescents live at opposite ends of the economic, social, and educational spectrum in the United States. This fact reinforces the need for a differentiated pastoral ministry, even with the Hispanic teens who speak English. In other words, it cannot be assumed that programs and approaches that work for White Catholic teens will work for Hispanic Catholic teens, and vice-versa.
Young Hispanic and White Catholics reported very similar religious beliefs when it comes to certain basic Christian teachings, but the Hispanics reported more frequent experiences of personal and family religious practices, while the White teens were more likely to participate in parish and Catholic school-based religious programs and activities.

The full 24-page report includes a detailed presentation and analysis of the data, an evaluation of the current state of Catholic youth ministry practice in the U.S. based on the goals of Renewing the Vision and the National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Ministry, and suggested priorities for increasing the outreach and effectiveness of parish youth ministry programs. It can be purchased for $5.00 per copy, plus shipping and handling, from the NFCYM or:

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