Christian and catholic background and adherence in new zealand homosexually active males: A psychological investigation

The psychological influence of religious background, current religious adnerence. Catholic background and current identification as a Catholic was investigated as part of a wider study of. 159 New Zealand, homosexually active males. Respondents from Catholic and Baptist backgrounds appeared disproportionately overrepresented in tlie sample while Presbyterians and Methodists were under-represented. While 84% of respondents were raised within a particular religious tradition, only 16% regularly attend some form of religious service, indicating that the major effect over time has been alienation from religious heritage in this group. Religious nonadherence was between two and five times greater in the sample than in the general population. Those currently eligious were not distin- fuishable from the non-religious on personality characteristics, hose of a Catholic background reported more succorance and less.