Sinners or Saints? Preachers' Kids and Risky Health Behaviors

No 7434, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper examines parental influence on adolescent risky behavior, focusing on a unique population: children of the clergy, more commonly known as preachers' kids (PKs). We use latent variable and zero-inflated count models to analyze the effect of being a PK on both uptake and intensity of use of alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, and other drugs. We find that being a PK significantly reduces alcohol use. This effect comes exclusively from a reduction in the probability of any alcohol use and this increased abstinence among children of the clergy persists into adulthood. These results are consistent with popular conceptions that PKs either take no risks or take large risks. We find no significant effects of being a PK on cigarette uptake or intensity of use but some evidence of a negative PK effect on the uptake of marijuana and other drugs.

Keywords: substance use; preacher's kid; religion; risky behavior; alcohol; tobacco (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I19 J13 K42 Z12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 37 pages
Date: 2013-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dem and nep-hea
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Published - published in: Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 2014, 35 (4), 464-476

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Journal Article: Sinners or Saints? Preachers’ Kids and Risky Health Behaviors (2014)
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