Disciplines
• Statistics
Statistics and religion: Statistics
is a valuable tool in understanding religious
trends and the role of religion in society.
A mathematical science, it collects, analyses,
interprets, explains and presents data, making
it useful to a variety of academic disciplines,
including religion. There is a growing interest
and need for religious statistics that record
the percentage of various faiths in cities,
schools, professions, or nations; as well
as to record trends in religious beliefs and
viewpoints on current issues and events. Statistics
on religion are useful to religious organizations,
schools, academics, governments and even politicians.
There are many needs and opportunities for
using both methodological and collaborative
approaches in collecting and analyzing information
about religion.
Using statistics:
Statistics and religion have recently gained
attention due to Harvard sociologist Robert
D. Putnam's book, "Bowling Alone: The
Collapse and Revival of American Community."
Putnam and a team of researchers analyzed
data and used quantitative measures such
as survey methods to reach conclusions about
social capital (the "value of people
dealing with people"). Based on the
statistics, Putnam argues that civil society
is breaking down as Americans become more
disconnected from their families, neighbors,
communities and the republic. Putnam devotes
a chapter to religion, noting statistical
ties between religious attendance and higher
rates of engagement in civic life. However,
he also found that church attendance is
declining along with other kinds of civic
engagement.
What is useful for those interested
in religion is that declining church attendance
appears to follow the same trends as other
declining voluntary and membership organizations.
This means it is unlikely to be affected
by developments specific to religion. Looking
for root causes or solutions only within
the religious sphere overlooks a larger
problem of disengagement, Putnam argues.
This is useful information for religious
organizations that are losing membership
and trying to find innovative ways to attract
youth and new members. It is also informative
for those who want to increase involvement
in civic life and its attendant benefits
to individuals and society. If those who
attend religious institutions are more likely
to engage, becoming involved in religion
could be a catalyst for more engagement.
Challenges today:
Those collecting and analyzing information
about religion will find it is difficult
to obtain information about people's religion.
The U.S. Census, which counts people and
many characteristics, does not ask people
their religious affiliation and employers
are not supposed to ask potential employees.
Sources of statistics on religion are also
inconsistent. Results differ based on how
questions are asked, how people are contacted,
and their options for response.
Some traditions
- such as African-American denominations
- are typically underrepresented because
of difficulty obtaining numbers. Numbers
are also difficult to compare because religions
track membership differently. The Southern
Baptist Convention, for example, counts
people who are baptized; the United Methodist
Church counts people who are confirmed;
mosques don't require membership so any
counts are only estimates; and only about
half of Jews in the United States are affiliated
with synagogues. Some houses of worship
make estimates on the number of people at
an average service; others count those who
are on the membership rolls. Categories
can also be problematic: Mormons consider
themselves Christians but many Christians
do not. Messianic Jews considers themselves
Jews but many Jews consider them Christians.
Some religious groups are so statistically
small, or their adherents so distributed,
that they are difficult to count, and there
are sometimes language barriers for faiths
whose adherents are primarily immigrants.
Those collecting information need to also
bear in mind that people frequently lie
when asked about religion, and that numbers
provided by faiths about their own faith
can be inflated.
Religion statistics, like
all statistics, carry with them the need
for caution about how they are used. It
is not unusual for religion statistics to
be used to maximize or minimize trends,
based on the agenda of the faith or agency
doing the reporting. Statistics can also
be used and misused in business and government.
Still, there remains a great need for a
more consistent and detailed collection
of information about religious affiliation
and belief. There are employment opportunities
for statisticians looking at religion in
academia, government and among religious
entities. Statisticians could also add questions
on religion, spirituality, affiliation and
beliefs when collecting data in other fields
to gain further insight into religious belief
and its impact; and to better understand
and serve these communities.
American
Academy of Religion Syllabi Search
American Academy of Religion
Association for the Sociology of Religion
Association of Christians in Mathematical Sciences
Association of Muslim Social Scientists of North America
Canadian Science and Christian Affiliation
Christian Academics
Christian Association for Psychological Studies
Christian Sociological Society
Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International
Faith Based Marketing Association
Fellowship of Scientists
International Association of Muslim Psychologists
Religion Newswriters Association
Religious Communication Association
• See a full list of professional associations and resources here.
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