The findings of the 1999 survey show that religion is as important an influence in the lives of American teens as it was in 1997. One-third of teens said their religious faith was the most important influence in their life; more than 4 in 10 reported their religious faith was a somewhat important influence. Only one-fourth of the teens surveyed said religious faith was unimportant as an influence in their lives. Girls were more likely than boys to report religious faith as the most important influence in their life, and African-Americans were more likely than whites to consider their religious faith as their most important influence. Most of those surveyed identified their religious preference as either Protestant or Catholic. In comparing the teen survey with a survey of young adults in December 1999, there is an indication that religious participation declines as youth enter their twenties. The 1999 teen poll showed that a sizeable majority of American teens knew that Cassie Bernall, a student at Columbine High School, was a shooting victim because she professed her belief in God, and this tragedy appears to have intensified teens' own religious faith. Teens of above-average academic standing and teens with two college-educated parents were more likely to belong to a church or synagogue than were their counterparts. This was also true in 1997. Close to half of teens (46 percent) attended services for religious worship in the past week. Still, Kenda Dean, one of the founders of the Institute of Youth Ministry at the Princeton Theological Seminary, advises that teens sometimes do not find a church setting in which they can grow in their beliefs and deepen their faith commitment. 4 tables