Teens More Traditional than Parents? Yes, It's Possible.

As I was cruising the internet researching the Millennial Generation's politics and values, I stumbled across this article about a very conservative (in terms of morality) segment of the Catholic Church: its young people. Granted, not all young Catholics believe in or practice abstinence before marriage, but apparently many do. More of today's young Catholics adhere to traditional Church teachings regarding sexual morality than either the Generation Xers or even their parents, the Baby Boomers. Catholic youth are also more apt to go to Mass regularly than their predecessors. So what does this mean? In my opinion, this is actually fairly consistent with the parallels I am uncovering between the Millennial Generation and the GI Generation. The overarching theme of the two generations is responsibility--primarily civic and social, but apparently, for a considerable amount of religious youth, spiritual as well. As I read more and more about the political and social ideals of this generation, it is becoming more and more clear that institutions--government, church, etc.--have and will have a huge impact. The question I am now asking, therefore, is how these trends towards institutional power will shape the political future of the country. Moreover, what will happen in response to conflict between institutions? For instance, how will these devoutly Catholic young adults respond to the common liberalism (moral and otherwise) of their peers?