Factors Shaping Religious Affiliation Among Immigrant American Youth: A Community-Based Study

Background & Purpose: In a sociopolitical climate increasingly characterized by anti-immigrant sentiment and systemic exclusion, this research serves as a timely and critical intervention from a social work and social justice perspective. Religious identity plays a central role in shaping the well-being of youth, particularly among marginalized communities (Chaudhary et al., 2020). American Muslim youth navigate complex, intersectional identities within a context shaped by Islamophobia, racialization, and systemic exclusion (Wang et al., 2020). Despite their growing presence, research often homogenizes their experiences, failing to capture the diversity of religious trajectories, including processes of affiliation and disaffiliation (Shams, 2018). This study centers the voices of a historically underrepresented population to examine: (1) what individual, family, peer, community, and societal factors influence religious affiliation and disaffiliation among American Muslim youth; and (2) how parent–youth dynamics contribute to character development.

Methods: Utilizing a community-based, ecological systems framework, this study engaged 604 American Muslim youth (ages 14–24) and a parental subset, an underrepresented population due to historical mistrust. Participants were recruited via convenience sampling through online and in-person channels. The ethnically diverse sample (47% South-Asian, 26% Arab, 10% African, 5% African-American) consists largely of children of immigrants: 22% are first-generation (born outside the United States), and 71% are second-generation (born in the U.S. with at least one foreign-born parent). Analysis included bivariate correlations and multiple linear regressions to assess predictors of character and religious struggles. Additionally, dyadic path modeling of parent-youth pairs provided a rigorous, system-level understanding of how identity and values are negotiated within the family unit.

Results: Preliminary findings from this pioneering study highlight both strong faith engagement and significant experiences of struggle. While 63% of youth report religion as highly important and 61% report consistent engagement in daily prayer, many also report ongoing religious struggles, suggesting that doubt is central to religious development. Findings underscore the importance of ecological factors: strong religious identity and positive God-focused coping are associated with lower levels of religious struggle, while interpersonal tensions and existential questioning are associated with higher levels of doubt. Parent–youth dynamics suggest that family relationships serve as a bridge to broader social development; parental warmth, support, and autonomy-granting are associated with stronger religious engagement and social consciousness, while relational conflict contributes to increased struggle. Peer and community contexts further shape these processes, with peer religiosity and support emerging as protective factors, and community dynamics reflecting more complex influences.

Conclusions & Implications: This study moves beyond a traditional approach of documenting religious behaviors to examining the systems shaping how Muslim youth affiliate or disaffiliate from their faith. By centering these voices, this research contributes to inclusive social work science and challenges deficit-based narratives about marginalized communities.

This work informs culturally responsive practice, strengthens family and community support, and advances equity in research, policy, and service delivery. By identifying the relational and structural factors that shape affiliation, disaffiliation, and character, this research builds pathways toward more inclusive and democratically engaged communities.