Christian Commitment and Personal Well Being: Exploring the Connection Between Religious Affect and Global Happiness Among Young Churchgoers in Australia

Leslie J. Francis*, Gemma Penny

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

Abstract

Drawing on data from the 2011 Australian National Church Life Survey, this study was designed to assess the connection between religious affect (as a measure of Christian commitment) and global happiness (as a measure of personal well being) among a sample of 6,194 young churchgoers in Australia between the ages of 8 and 14 years, attending a range of denominations, including Catholic, Anglican, Uniting, Pentecostal, and other Protestant churches. Employing the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity and the Powell Index of Global Happiness, the data demonstrate a significant positive correlation between religious affect and global happiness, after controlling for individual differences in sex and age.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)222-232
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Research on Christian Education
Volume25
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2016

Keywords

  • Churchgoing
  • happiness
  • positive psychology
  • psychology of religion
  • tweenagers

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