Religious Identity and Delinquency

Comparing Muslim, Christian and Non-Religious Adolescents in the United Kingdom

Bibliographic Data

ID8403224
AuthorsChristopher H Seto (0000-0002-6020-4684, Pennsylvania State University, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume62
Issue4
Pages857-876
Publication date2022-06-17
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe British Journal of Criminology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-0955 • E-ISSN: 1464-3529
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/bjc/azab100
OpenAlexW3211143440
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited51

The relationship between religion and delinquency is shaped by sociocultural context, but little research has explored the relationship for non-Christian religions outside of the United States. This study advances existing scholarship by comparing the crime and illicit substance use of 9,772 Muslim, Christian and non-religious adolescents in the United Kingdom. The Karlson, Holm, Breen (KHB) method is used to explore underlying mechanisms. Results show that Muslims engage in the least delinquency, followed by Christians, while non-religious adolescents engage in the most delinquency. Religious involvement is especially protective for Muslim adolescents. These findings refute a pervasive public perception of Muslim identity as ‘risky’. KHB results reveal that educational motivation and parental supervision underlie religious group differences in delinquency

Context (archaeology) · Criminology · Geography · Identity (music) · Juvenile delinquency · Political science · Religiosity · Religious identity · Scholarship · Sociocultural evolution · Sociology · Anthropology · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Law · Psychology · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Social Psychology · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

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