Church attendance and sexual assault

White male adolescents in the ADD Health Study were asked: "Did you ever physically force someone to have sexual intercourse against her will?" Here are the percentages who answered "yes" listed by church attendance:

Percent of males having forced sex (N = 604)

Never attends 4.2
Less than once a month 2.3
Between monthly and less than weekly 3.5
Once a week or more 1.2

There are no significant differences here, but if that issue is ignored, guys who never attend church are 3 1/2 times more likely to report forced sex than those who go weekly or more often.

Girls were asked: "Were you ever physically forced to have sexual intercourse against your will?

Percent of females forced to have sex (N = 657)

Never attends 15.7
Less than once a month 11.3
Between monthly and less than weekly 11.9
Once a week or more 10.5

Once again, there are no significant differences, but the numbers suggest that, compared to girls who attend most frequently, those who never go are 1 1/2 times more likely to have been forced. Less restrictiveness on the part of the parents seems the most probable explanation.