Religious affiliation and contraceptive usage: changing American patterns, 1955-82

This paper presents national estimates of contraceptive usage patterns among white women from 1955 to 82 for the major religious populations in the United States. Drawing on several surveys, the data show that in 1955 differences in contraceptive use between white Protestants and Catholics were very large and corresponded to the higher fertility levels among Catholics. By 1982, all the major religious groups had experienced downward changes in expected family size and all used effective contraceptive methods. -Authors