Adolescents who agreed or strongly agreed that religious beliefs were very important in their lives had lower rates of alcohol use, nicotine vaping and illicit drug use than those who disagreed or strongly disagreed with that statement, according to a September 2026 report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
The findings are based on National Survey on Drug Use and Health data from 2022 to 2025 involving adolescents ages 12-17.
Here are five things to know:
1. Religious beliefs became more important to adolescents. In 2025, 68.4% agreed or strongly agreed that religious beliefs were very important in their lives, up from 60.8% in 2022.
2. Alcohol use was lower among adolescents who valued religious beliefs. Past-month alcohol use was 5.4% among those who agreed or strongly agreed that religious beliefs were very important, compared with 8.6% among those who disagreed or strongly disagreed.
3. Nicotine vaping followed a similar pattern. Past-month nicotine vaping rates were 5.2% among adolescents who agreed or strongly agreed, compared with 8.4% among those who disagreed or strongly disagreed.
4. Illicit drug use was also lower. Past-year illicit drug use was 11.5% among adolescents who agreed or strongly agreed, compared with 17.9% among those who disagreed or strongly disagreed.
5. The association persisted across demographic groups. Researchers observed lower substance use rates among both male and female adolescents and across all federal poverty level categories.
Researchers cautioned that the findings show associations, not causation. The study does not establish that religious beliefs reduce substance use.
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