Religious tradition (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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[Results weighted by W1] |
Related Topics
Demographic Patterns
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Religious Tradition (Demographic Patterns)
Religious Tradition by Year Founded
| Before 1900 | 1900-1950 | 1951-1999 | 2000 or Later | Missing | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roman Catholic | 8.4% 30 | 7.9% 31 | 3.2% 18 | 0.0% 0 | 1 | 5.6% 79 |
| White conservative, evangelical, or fundamentalist | 30.4% 109 | 46.2% 180 | 61.1% 349 | 58.2% 57 | 42 | 49.0% 695 |
| Black Protestant | 21.7% 78 | 24.1% 94 | 20.0% 114 | 34.7% 34 | 34 | 22.6% 320 |
| White liberal or moderate | 37.0% 133 | 19.0% 74 | 11.6% 66 | 2.0% 2 | 10 | 19.4% 275 |
| Non-Christian | 2.5% 9 | 2.8% 11 | 4.2% 24 | 5.1% 5 | 2 | 3.5% 49 |
| TOTAL | 100.0% 359 | 100.0% 390 | 100.0% 571 | 100.0% 98 | 89 | 1418 |
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Religious Tradition by Adult Members
| 25 or Less | 26-50 | 51-100 | 101-200 | More than 200 | Missing | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roman Catholic | 5.5% 11 | 1.9% 7 | 0.0% 0 | 4.1% 12 | 18.8% 49 | 1 | 5.3% 79 |
| White conservative, evangelical, or fundamentalist | 40.3% 81 | 47.5% 178 | 55.1% 206 | 55.2% 160 | 41.4% 108 | 4 | 48.8% 733 |
| Black Protestant | 45.3% 91 | 30.9% 116 | 20.9% 78 | 14.5% 42 | 10.3% 27 | 0 | 23.6% 354 |
| White liberal or moderate | 7.0% 14 | 16.8% 63 | 21.4% 80 | 22.1% 64 | 24.5% 64 | 0 | 19.0% 285 |
| Non-Christian | 2.0% 4 | 2.9% 11 | 2.7% 10 | 4.1% 12 | 5.0% 13 | 0 | 3.3% 50 |
| TOTAL | 100.0% 201 | 100.0% 375 | 100.0% 374 | 100.0% 290 | 100.0% 261 | 5 | 1501 |
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Religious Tradition by Political Ideology
| More on the conservative side | Right in the middle | More on the liberal side | Missing | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roman Catholic | 3.5% 29 | 8.2% 40 | 4.5% 5 | 5 | 5.2% 74 |
| White conservative, evangelical, or fundamentalist | 63.7% 524 | 30.1% 147 | 17.1% 19 | 47 | 48.5% 690 |
| Black Protestant | 17.0% 140 | 34.6% 169 | 23.4% 26 | 20 | 23.6% 335 |
| White liberal or moderate | 15.0% 123 | 23.7% 116 | 36.0% 40 | 6 | 19.6% 279 |
| Non-Christian | 0.7% 6 | 3.5% 17 | 18.9% 21 | 6 | 3.1% 44 |
| TOTAL | 100.0% 822 | 100.0% 489 | 100.0% 111 | 84 | 1422 |
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Religious Tradition 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roman Catholic | 14.1% 28 | 4.7% 18 | 2.4% 17 | 7.8% 16 | 5.2% 79 |
| White conservative, evangelical, or fundamentalist | 30.8% 61 | 58.0% 224 | 47.3% 339 | 54.9% 113 | 48.9% 737 |
| Black Protestant | 12.6% 25 | 16.1% 62 | 36.7% 263 | 1.9% 4 | 23.5% 354 |
| White liberal or moderate | 33.3% 66 | 17.1% 66 | 12.8% 92 | 29.6% 61 | 18.9% 285 |
| Non-Christian | 9.1% 18 | 4.1% 16 | 0.7% 5 | 5.8% 12 | 3.4% 51 |
| TOTAL | 100.0% 198 | 100.0% 386 | 100.0% 716 | 100.0% 206 | 1506 |
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Religious Tradition by Theology
| More on the conservative side | Right in the middle | More on the liberal side | Missing | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roman Catholic | 4.3% 39 | 7.5% 32 | 4.2% 5 | 3 | 5.2% 76 |
| White conservative, evangelical, or fundamentalist | 62.9% 575 | 25.8% 110 | 21.7% 26 | 26 | 48.7% 711 |
| Black Protestant | 17.5% 160 | 37.6% 160 | 18.3% 22 | 12 | 23.4% 342 |
| White liberal or moderate | 13.7% 125 | 24.4% 104 | 44.2% 53 | 3 | 19.3% 282 |
| Non-Christian | 1.6% 15 | 4.7% 20 | 11.7% 14 | 2 | 3.4% 49 |
| TOTAL | 100.0% 914 | 100.0% 426 | 100.0% 120 | 46 | 1460 |
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Religious Tradition by Year
| 1998 | 2006 | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roman Catholic | 6.2% 76 | 5.3% 80 | 5.7% 156 |
| White conservative, evangelical, or fundamentalist | 46.7% 577 | 48.9% 737 | 47.9% 1314 |
| Black Protestant | 16.4% 203 | 23.5% 354 | 20.3% 557 |
| White liberal or moderate | 25.3% 313 | 18.9% 285 | 21.8% 598 |
| Non-Christian | 5.3% 66 | 3.4% 51 | 4.3% 117 |
| TOTAL | 100.0% 1235 | 100.0% 1507 | 2742 |
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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.
