«Beyond the family is social capital... provided by the
religious community
surrounding a Catholic school... that has
value for a young person's development....
His research centers on several main issues: (1) the implications of religion and spirituality for mental and physical health and mortality risk; (2)
religious variations in family life, with particular attention to intimate relationships and childrearing; (3) the role of
religious institutions, practices, and
values among racial and ethnic minority populations in the United States; (4) the influence of
religious factors on political attitudes and policy preferences; and (5) public opinion
surrounding issues of race, ethnicity, and immigration in the contemporary United States.