Was there a time during the service in which people in the congregation greeted each other by shaking hands or some other way? (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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Greeting at Service? (National Congregations Study 2006-2007)     [Results weighted by W1]

Related Topics • Offering? • Prayer? • Reading or Recitation? • Sermon or Speech? • See all Topics Demographic Patterns • Year Founded • Adult Members • Political Ideology • Region of the Country • Religious Tradition • Theology • Year

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Greeting at Service? (Demographic Patterns)

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Greeting at Service? by Year Founded

	Before 1900	1900-1950	1951-1999	2000 or Later	Missing	TOTAL
Yes	83.8% 301	76.5% 297	77.7% 443	88.9% 88	74	79.7% 1129
No	16.2% 58	23.5% 91	22.3% 127	11.1% 11	14	20.3% 287
MISSING	0	0	1	0	0	1
TOTAL	100.0% 359	100.0% 388	100.0% 570	100.0% 99	88	1416

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Greeting at Service? by Adult Members

	25 or Less	26-50	51-100	101-200	More than 200	Missing	TOTAL
Yes	64.2% 129	83.7% 314	83.2% 311	76.8% 222	85.4% 222	5	79.9% 1198
No	35.8% 72	16.3% 61	16.8% 63	23.2% 67	14.6% 38	0	20.1% 301
MISSING	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
TOTAL	100.0% 201	100.0% 375	100.0% 374	100.0% 289	100.0% 260	5	1499

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Greeting at Service? by Political Ideology

	More on the conservative side	Right in the middle	More on the liberal side	Missing	TOTAL
Yes	79.9% 655	80.8% 395	83.6% 92	60	80.5% 1142
No	20.1% 165	19.2% 94	16.4% 18	24	19.5% 277
MISSING	1	0	0	0	1
TOTAL	100.0% 820	100.0% 489	100.0% 110	84	1419

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Greeting at Service? 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	70.2% 139	74.1% 286	85.5% 611	81.1% 167	79.9% 1203
No	29.8% 59	25.9% 100	14.5% 104	18.9% 39	20.1% 302
MISSING	0	0	1	0	1
TOTAL	100.0% 198	100.0% 386	100.0% 715	100.0% 206	1505

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Greeting at Service? by Religious Tradition

	Roman Catholic	White conservative, evangelical, or fundamentalist	Black Protestant	White liberal or moderate	Non-Christian	TOTAL
Yes	92.5% 74	73.3% 540	87.3% 308	89.8% 255	51.0% 26	79.9% 1203
No	7.5% 6	26.7% 197	12.7% 45	10.2% 29	49.0% 25	20.1% 302
MISSING	0	0	1	0	0	1
TOTAL	100.0% 80	100.0% 737	100.0% 353	100.0% 284	100.0% 51	1505

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Greeting at Service? by Theology

	More on the conservative side	Right in the middle	More on the liberal side	Missing	TOTAL
Yes	78.2% 714	81.6% 346	86.0% 104	39	79.8% 1164
No	21.8% 199	18.4% 78	14.0% 17	8	20.2% 294
MISSING	0	1	0	0	1
TOTAL	100.0% 913	100.0% 424	100.0% 121	47	1458

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Greeting at Service? by Year

	1998	2006	TOTAL
Yes	78.7% 970	80.0% 1203	79.4% 2173
No	21.3% 263	20.0% 301	20.6% 564
MISSING	0	1	1
TOTAL	100.0% 1233	100.0% 1504	2737

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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.