A recent study found that homeschooled students are more likely to believe in God and report positive mental health outcomes than those not homeschooled.
“Homeschooling is on the rise in the United States, so it’s more important than ever to understand both its outcomes and the students and families who participate in it,” said Dr. Lynn Swaner, President – US of Cardus, a think tank. “If there’s one thing the study makes clear, it’s that the time has come to end the simplistic, one-dimensional descriptions of American homeschoolers.”
The study surveyed American adults between the ages of 24-39 who were homeschooled for a period of their elementary and high school years and compared them to adults who were not homeschooled. The study categorizes the homeschool data into short-term (1-2 years), medium-term (3-7 years), and long-term (at least 8 years).
According to the study’s findings, long-term homeschoolers had the greatest levels of “optimism, gratitude, and life satisfaction” and were the least likely to “feel helpless” when navigating difficult situations.
Those who were homeschooled were also more likely to believe in God and regularly engage in religious practice. 56% of short-term homeschoolers shared a belief in God, as did 61% of medium-term homeschoolers and 72% of long-term homeschoolers. 41% of those who were never homeschooled shared a belief in God, according to the study.
Among the U.S. adults surveyed, only those in the long-term homeschool group had a majority who were currently married. Only 4% of people in this category reported being divorced, less than half of those who were never homeschooled (9%).
Despite a common criticism of homeschooling being that “isolating students prevents them from practicing democratic norms and developing dispositions that motivate them to engage with the broader community and fellow citizens in adulthood,” the study found that homeschooled students are as equal, if not more likely, to volunteer and engage charitably.
While many of the homeschooled Americans reported positive outcomes, when asked about income, respondents were “less likely to report incomes above the median income level, compared to non-homeschoolers.” More than half of medium and long-term homeschoolers consider hard work a “very important value,” however.
