Religion, future orientation, and subjective well-being among emerging adults

We hypothesise that religion is associated with how often emerging adults think about the future, which is then related to their greater subjective well-being. Based on a secondary analysis of the third wave of the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR), participation in organised religion is negatively related to thinking about the future, whereas religious efficacy and having religious friends are positively related to thinking about the future. Thinking about the future is related to greater subjective well-being, measured as life satisfaction, gratitude, sense of meaning, and control. Participation in organised religion, religious efficacy, and having religious friends have significant indirect relationships with life satisfaction, gratitude, sense of meaning, and control that are mediated by thinking about the future. Therefore, among emerging adults, thinking about the future helps to explain the relationship between religion and multiple dimensions of subjective well-being.