Is your congregation formally affiliated with a denomination, convention, or some similar kind of association? (National Congregations Study 2006-2007)

Each question was asked of a key informant from the congregation, such as a minister, priest, rabbi, or other staff person or leader.

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Formal Affiliation? (National Congregations Study 2006-2007)     [Results weighted by W1]

Related Topics • Politics • Religious Tradition • Theology • View of the Bible • See all Topics Demographic Patterns • Year Founded • Adult Members • Political Ideology • Region of the Country • Religious Tradition • Theology • Year

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Formal Affiliation? (Demographic Patterns)

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Formal Affiliation? by Year Founded

	Before 1900	1900-1950	1951-1999	2000 or Later	Missing	TOTAL
Yes	89.4% 321	87.7% 341	74.8% 428	47.5% 47	52	80.1% 1137
No	10.6% 38	12.3% 48	25.2% 144	52.5% 52	36	19.9% 282
TOTAL	100.0% 359	100.0% 389	100.0% 572	100.0% 99	88	1419

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Formal Affiliation? by Adult Members

	25 or Less	26-50	51-100	101-200	More than 200	Missing	TOTAL
Yes	75.1% 151	73.3% 275	79.1% 296	81.4% 236	86.6% 226	5	78.9% 1184
No	24.9% 50	26.7% 100	20.9% 78	18.6% 54	13.4% 35	0	21.1% 317
TOTAL	100.0% 201	100.0% 375	100.0% 374	100.0% 290	100.0% 261	5	1501

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Formal Affiliation? by Political Ideology

	More on the conservative side	Right in the middle	More on the liberal side	Missing	TOTAL
Yes	78.1% 642	81.2% 397	82.0% 91	59	79.5% 1130
No	21.9% 180	18.8% 92	18.0% 20	26	20.5% 292
TOTAL	100.0% 822	100.0% 489	100.0% 111	85	1422

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Formal Affiliation? by Region of the Country

	New England or Mid-Atlantic	East North Central or West North Central	South Atlantic, East South Central, or West South Central	Mountain or Pacific	TOTAL
Yes	84.3% 166	78.0% 302	76.4% 547	84.5% 174	79.0% 1189
No	15.7% 31	22.0% 85	23.6% 169	15.5% 32	21.0% 317
TOTAL	100.0% 197	100.0% 387	100.0% 716	100.0% 206	1506

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Formal Affiliation? by Religious Tradition

	Roman Catholic	White conservative, evangelical, or fundamentalist	Black Protestant	White liberal or moderate	Non-Christian	TOTAL
Yes	100.0% 80	73.0% 538	72.3% 256	100.0% 285	60.0% 30	79.0% 1189
No	0.0% 0	27.0% 199	27.7% 98	0.0% 0	40.0% 20	21.0% 317
TOTAL	100.0% 80	100.0% 737	100.0% 354	100.0% 285	100.0% 50	1506

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Formal Affiliation? by Theology

	More on the conservative side	Right in the middle	More on the liberal side	Missing	TOTAL
Yes	77.9% 712	81.4% 346	86.0% 104	27	79.6% 1162
No	22.1% 202	18.6% 79	14.0% 17	20	20.4% 298
TOTAL	100.0% 914	100.0% 425	100.0% 121	47	1460

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Formal Affiliation? by Year

	1998	2006	TOTAL
Yes	81.4% 1004	78.9% 1188	80.0% 2192
No	18.6% 230	21.1% 318	20.0% 548
TOTAL	100.0% 1234	100.0% 1506	2740

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Notes

The National Congregations Study (NCS) dataset "fills a void in the sociological study of congregations by providing, for the first time, data that can be used to draw a nationally aggregate picture of congregations" (Chaves et al. 1999, p.460). Thanks to innovations in sampling techniques, the NCS data is the first nationally representative sample of American congregations. In 2006-07, a panel component was added to the NCS. In addition to the new cross-section of congregations generated in conjunction with the 2006 General Social Survey (GSS), a stratified random sample was drawn from congregations who participated in the 1998 NCS. The 2006-07 NCS sample, then, includes a subset of cases that were also interviewed in 1998. A full codebook, prepared by the primary investigator, is available for download here. The codebook contains the original questionnaire, as well as detailed information on survey methodology, weights, coding, and more.