Exploring The Relationship Between Scouting Programs And DelinquencyThis study examines the relationship between youth participation in Boy and Girl Scouting (BSA, GSA, etc.) programs and later delinquency. The primary research question is: Does participation in a Scouting program as a youth influence the likelihood of later delinquency? Many theories, such as learning theories, control theories, and disorganization theories hypothesize that participation in organized, prosocial activities will reduce juvenile delinquency and antisocial behavior. The purpose of this study is to determine whether participation in Scouting programs, such as Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, effects the likelihood of later delinquency. The influence of Scouting participation on delinquency is not well researched and this study will help to increase the understanding of the benefits of these programs. This analysis uses data from the National Education Longitudinal Study. The longitudinal nature of this research facilitates an examination on the effects of Scouting participation over time. The dependent variables of importance are self-reported arrest variables (e.g., "Have you been arrested?"), measures of problem behavior, and self-reported drug use variables (marijuana and cocaine). To reduce the influence of any existing selection biases (for example, those more likely to engage in delinquency are already less likely to participate in Scouting programs), the sample will be match/weigh youth based on propensity scores. Individuals will be matched based on race, gender, SES, grades, and other relevant characteristics. The goal of this matching/weighting is to compare the delinquency rates of two youth who are as similar as possible (determined through propensity score matching) who differ only in their participation in scouting programs, thereby reducing the influence of unmeasured variables. Once matched/weighted, the individual influence of Scouting participation can be effectively measured. The results indicate that there is little to no difference between Scouts and non-Scouts prior to matching and that Scouting participation has virtually no influence on delinquency. The implications of these findings, limitations of the analysis, and directions for future research are also discussed.