wfn.org | Most Teens Get Along with Parents, Believe in God, Poll Finds

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9-June-1998 
98158 
 
    Most Teens Get Along with Parents, 
    Believe in God, Poll Finds 
 
    by Religion News Service 
 
WASHINGTON-A poll of teenagers shows that the majority of them get along 
with their parents, believe in God and trust the government. 
 
    Ninety-four percent of the teens polled in the "New York Times"/CBS 
News Poll said they believe in God. 
 
    Differing from stereotypes, 51 percent said they got along "very well" 
with their parents and 46 percent said they related "fairly well." 
 
    The teens also proved to have more faith in the government than in 
their parents. 
 
    Fifty percent of those surveyed said the government can be trusted to 
do the right thing always or most of the time.  In a January survey by the 
same organizations, just 26 percent of adults agreed with that sentiment. 
 
    The poll of 1,048 teens between the ages of 13 and 17 was taken through 
nationwide telephone interviews April 2-7.  The survey had a margin of 
error of plus or minus three percentage points. 
 
    On sexual matters, many teens seemed to support conservative values, 
"The New York Times" reported.  Almost half - 53 percent of girls and 41 
percent of boys - said sex before marriage is "always wrong."  Larger 
majorities - 58 percent of boys and 47 percent of girls - said 
homosexuality is "always wrong." 
 
    Fewer than one in four said they had ever had sex, but 71 percent said 
"a lot" or "some of" their peers at school are having sex. 
 
    However, almost half of the same teens who said they did not approve of 
sex before marriage supported the distribution of condoms in schools. 
 
    "People are going to have sex, and they should have protected sex," 
said Brett Adam Abel, a 15-year-old from Apopka, Fla., who agreed to a 
follow-up interview after taking part in the poll.  "They should have the 
chance to prevent herpes, AIDS and stuff." 
 
    In general, 6 in 10 surveyed said they supported condom distribution in 
schools. 
 
    Thirty-nine percent of those polled said drugs are the biggest problem 
facing their generation.  A similar percentage of teens polled four years 
ago voiced the same sentiment. 
 
    Two percent of teens said abortion or pregnancy was the biggest problem 
facing their generation.  Just 1 percent said the biggest problem was AIDS, 
but 18 percent said they personally knew someone who had tested positive 
for HIV, had AIDS or had died of AIDS.     

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