Family values run stronger among folks in the Red States than in the liberal leftie leaners of those Blue States. Everyone knows that. In liberal-land one doesn't see billboards that remind us that "The family that prays together, stays together." Apparently more prayer leads to greater family values, and as we all know, liberals don't pray. Right?

Divorce rates are a measure of family values.

However, according to the Barna Group (consultants to evangelical Christian groups):

• 19 percent of Northeasterners (lefties, all) have divorced
• 27 percent of Southerners and Midwesterners (mostly family-oriented conservatives) have untied their knots at least once.
• 27 percent of self-described born-again Christians have been divorced
• 24 percent of other Christians - those less faithful than the born-agains - have renounced their vows.
  

Divorce rates, by denomination

• 34% non-denominational evangelical Christian congregations
• 29% Baptists
• 25% Mainline Protestants
• 24% Mormons
• 21% Catholics and Lutherans
  

Sanity check: 21% of atheists and agnostics have succumbed to the temptations and pleasures of divorce court.

Red State Values, Blue State Values

1. According to 2004 presidential voting election results, there are:
   
   • red states: 32
   • blue states:19 (includes District of Columbia)
   Drawing on data provided by the Centers for Disease Control, we can develop a red-state/blue-state morality chart for 2004. It reveals some interesting facts.

2. Divorce.

   The national average divorce rate(divorces per 1000 population) was 3.6.
   
   • 73.3% of blue states were below that average (26.7% were above)
     3/4 of blue states had divorce rates BELOW the national average.
     
     
   • 20.0% of red states were below that average (80.0% were above)
     4/5 of red states had divorce rates ABOVE the national average.
     
   note: 2 blue states and 3 red states did not report for that year
   http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvss/divorce90_04.pdf

3. Teenage (ages 15-19) pregnancies

   The states with the worst teen pregnancy rates were red states
   
   • 9 of the 10 worst states were red states
   • 20 of 32 red states had teen pregnancy rates significantly higher than US average (includes the 9 mentioned above)
   • 1 of the 19 blue states had teen pregnancy rate significantly higher than US average (actually not a state - it was the District of Columbia)
     
   
   The states with the best teen pregnancy rates were blue states
   
   • 9 of 10 best states were blue states
   • 18 of 19 blue states had teen pregnancy rates significantly lower than the US average (includes the 9 mentioned above)
   • 10 of 32 red had teen pregnancy rates significantly lower than the US average
   
   Some states had 'average' teen pregnancy rates
   
   • 0 blue states had rates not significantly different from US average
   • 2 red states had rates not significantly different from US average
   
   All of the above pregnancy statistics are clearly shown at the CDC website

4. It gets worse.

   The highest rates of divorce, murder, STD/HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy, single parent homes, infant mortality, and obesity rates in the nation are in the Bible Belt. As a region, the Bible Belt has the poorest health care systems and the lowest rates of high school graduation. If you don't believe it, look it up for yourself.

Read an article discussing much of the above. While it has many citations and web links - the ones I checked proved to be reliable - that article was NOT my source for any of the above content.

Labels: bible belt, blue state, conservative, divorce, liberal, morality, ppregnancy, red state