A survey of 1,500 Americans commissioned by CAFO earlier this year uncovered an array of significant — and sometimes surprising — findings about people’s views of and experiences with foster care and adoption.
This week, the Institute for Family Studies published an article by CAFO President Jedd Medefind highlighting some of the big take-aways. These include the remarkably higher rates at which Christians engage, serve, and give to help vulnerable children and families. It also probes the counter-intuitive finding that, despite the immense difficulty that often comes with foster care and adoption, faith-inspired foster and adoptive families tend to be doing remarkably well. As the article describes:
According to the findings, people of all major faiths are more likely to step into the lives of children in the foster system than those with no religious affiliation (commonly referred to as the religious “nones”). The difference is especially pronounced among Christians, who are nearly twice as likely to adopt and over three times more likely to foster children compared to religious “nones.”
These faith-motivated individuals are more likely to donate money and goods for child welfare efforts as well (45% vs. 24%). They’re also more than twice as likely to serve personally in many other ways, too, including:
- Volunteering with nonprofits that support children and families (20% vs. 9%)
- Supporting foster/adoptive families directly (24% vs. 11%)
- Aiding biological families in crisis (19% vs. 9%)
Notably, the more devoted a person is to their faith, the more likely they are to do each of these things.
Read the full IFS article to see more survey outcomes and analysis, including the surprising results seen in the lives of Christian foster and adoptive families: “Faith, Foster Care, and the Surprising Path to Flourishing.”
Download the full report, Engagement in US Foster Care: 2025 Data and Trends.
