Does Scouting Work?

For 100+ years, Boy Scouts of America has been the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, helping young people to be “Prepared. For Life.” We know it, parents know it, Scouts and Scouters know it – but we wanted scientific proof that Scouting positively impacts character development in youth. 

To recap, a research team from Tufts University worked with the Cradle of Liberty Council to measure the character attributes of both Scouts and non-Scouts. The project, which was funded by the John Templeton Foundation and led by Dr. Richard M. Lerner, surveyed nearly 1,800 Cub Scouts and nearly 400 non-Scouts to better understand character development of Scouts. After a two-and-a-half-year period, the study proved Scouting builds positive character and prepares young people for life.