CRRUCS Report 2001 A Better Kind of High: How Religious Commitment Reduces Drug Use Among Poor Urban Teens Table 2. Percent Change in Marijuana Use Comparing Adolescents with Low, Medium, and High Levels of Religious Commitment from Neighborhoods of Low, Medium, and High Disorder     Religious Commitme nt     % Change   % Change Disorder Low Medium High Lo to Med Religious Commit Med. to Hi Religious Commit Lo v Hi Religious Commit Lo Disorder & Lo Religious Commit v. Hi Disorder & Hi Religious Commit Low 2.363417 2.254058 2.144699 -4.62716 -4.85165 -9.25431   Medium 2.507753 2.341582 2.175411 -6.62629 -7.09653 -13.2526   High 2.652088 2.429106 2.206123 -8.40779 -9.17963 -16.8156                 -6.6553*     Disorder     % Change     Religious Commitme nt Low Medium High Lo v. Med Med. v. Hi Lo v. Hi   Low 2.363417 2.507753 2.652088 6.10709 5.755551 12.21414   Medium 2.254058 2.341582 2.429106 3.882952 3.737815 7.765905   High 2.144699 2.175411 2.206123 1.431996 1.411779 2.863992   * This percent reduction is computed from the coefficients in the Low/Low and the High/High Cells. Table 3. Percent Change in Hard Drug Use Comparing Adolescents with Low, Medium, and High Levels of Religious Commitment from Neighborhoods of Low, Medium, and High Disorder     Religious Commitme nt     % Change   % Change Disorder Low Medium High Lo to Med Religious Commit Med. to Hi Religious Commit Lo v Hi Religious Commit Lo Disorder & Lo Religious Commit v. Hi Disorder & Hi Religious Commit Low 1.08876 1.07741 1.06606 -1.04249 -1.05348 -2.08499   Medium 1.112134 1.089924 1.067715 -1.99703 -2.03772 -3.99406   High 1.135508 1.102439 1.069369 -2.91227 -2.99963 -5.82454                 -1.78102*     Disorder     % Change     Religious Commitme nt Low Medium High Lo v. Med Med. v. Hi Lo v. Hi   Low 1.08876 1.112134 1.135508 2.14681 2.101691 4.293621   Medium 1.07741 1.089924 1.102439 1.16151 1.148174 2.323021   High 1.06606 1.067715 1.069369 0.155229 0.154988 0.310457   *This percent reduction is computed from the coefficients in the Low/Low and the High/High Cells.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Center for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES John J. DiIulio, Jr., Founding Director EMAIL THIS | PRINTER FRIENDLY WHAT THE PRESS SAID: Keeping the Faith The Wall Street Journal, August 2, 2000 Faith-based organizations: A promise still untested by Jane Eisner, The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 1, 2000 Uncle Shrub's Cabin Black Church Backers Sing Hosannahs by James Ridgeway, The Village Voice, August 1, 2000 To combat drug use among teens, religion is a proven, powerful tool by Byron R. Johnson The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 30, 2000 SUMMARY: Dr. Byron Johnson’s important analysis demonstrates that religious commitment among inner city teens dramatically reduces their likelihood to take illegal drugs. In fact, he finds that religious low-income urban teenagers are much less likely to use drugs than non-religious youths living in middle class neighborhoods. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Foreword Report Why Neighborhood Conditions Affect Teen Drug Use Why Individual Religious Commitment Matters Study Design Key Study Variables Analytic Strategy Summary of Findings Conclusion Appendix A: Study Details Appendix B: Variable Operationalization Appendix C: Analytic Model Appendix D: Table 1 Appendix D: Tables 2 & 3 Appendix E: Figures 1-2 Endnotes About CRRUCS