Original scientific paper
Religiosity and Delinquency: Research Results on the Population of Maribor University Undergraduates
Sergej FLERE
Abstract
The relationship between religiosity and delinquency is
studied on a survey sample (1200) of Maribor university
undergraduates (2003). Ensuing from the Hirschi and Stark
assertion (1969) as to a lack of link between religiosity and
delinquency, as well as from the transformation of religiosity
during post-modernity in a relativistic direction, it was
supposed that there would be no link between religiosity and
delinquency. This was rejected in this study by a finding of
significant variation in the odds ratio as to committing
delinquent acts among those who are intensively religious
and those who are not religious at all. It was found that
personal religiosity does have a definite inhibitory effect
upon general type delinquency, even though the beta
coefficient was not high (.155, sig. .000). Indications were
found that religiosity has a greater delinquency inhibiting
impact upon those residing outside a large city, in small town
and rural surroundings, supporting the Stark et al. (1982)
contention of "moral community", as the environment where
religiosity does have an effect, in our case only a minor
stimulus. Other variables also intervened, sex being the most
potent one.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
17856
URI
Publication date:
30.6.2005.
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