A Multidimensional Typology of Religiosity in Three-Generation Families

There is broad consensus that religiosity is multidimensional in nature, but little is known regarding how religiosity profiles are similar or different across grandparent, parent, and grandchild generations. In this investigation, we aim to identify religious typologies among grandparents, parents, and grandchildren in a multigenerational sample, and describe similarities in typologies across generations. Data derived from the 2005 wave of the Longitudinal Study of Generation. To address the first aim, latent class analysis and multiple-group latent class analysis were conducted based on 411 grandparents, 705 parents, and 610 grandchildren. To address the second aim, latent transition analysis was conducted based on 216 grandparent–parent–grandchild triads. Results of the latent class analysis showed that same four-class religious typology was identified in three generations: strongly religious, weakly religious, personally religious, and doctrinally religious. In addition, results of latent transition analysis showed that strongly and weakly religious types are more likely to be repeated from grandparent to grandchild generations, compared to personally and doctrinally religious types. Our findings complement previous studies that religiosity is a multidimensional construct and that religiosity class membership at the extremes is largely invariant across three generations. Also, our findings indicate that the two intermediate religious typologies (personally and doctrinally religious) are not as intergenerationally stable as strongly and weakly religious types.