Was there a time during the service for silent prayer or meditation? (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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Prayer? (National Congregations Study 2006-2007)     [Results weighted by W1]

Related Topics • Greeting at Service? • Offering? • 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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Prayer? (Demographic Patterns)

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Prayer? by Year Founded

	Before 1900	1900-1950	1951-1999	2000 or Later	Missing	TOTAL
Yes	75.8% 272	74.8% 291	71.5% 408	76.5% 75	59	73.8% 1046
No	24.2% 87	25.2% 98	28.5% 163	23.5% 23	30	26.2% 371
TOTAL	100.0% 359	100.0% 389	100.0% 571	100.0% 98	89	1417

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Prayer? by Adult Members

	25 or Less	26-50	51-100	101-200	More than 200	Missing	TOTAL
Yes	57.2% 115	73.0% 273	74.1% 278	74.5% 216	83.1% 217	5	73.2% 1099
No	42.8% 86	27.0% 101	25.9% 97	25.5% 74	16.9% 44	0	26.8% 402
TOTAL	100.0% 201	100.0% 374	100.0% 375	100.0% 290	100.0% 261	5	1501

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Prayer? by Political Ideology

	More on the conservative side	Right in the middle	More on the liberal side	Missing	TOTAL
Yes	73.7% 606	70.3% 344	91.0% 101	54	73.9% 1051
No	26.3% 216	29.7% 145	9.0% 10	30	26.1% 371
TOTAL	100.0% 822	100.0% 489	100.0% 111	84	1422

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Prayer? 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	88.9% 176	69.2% 267	70.0% 501	77.7% 160	73.3% 1104
No	11.1% 22	30.8% 119	30.0% 215	22.3% 46	26.7% 402
TOTAL	100.0% 198	100.0% 386	100.0% 716	100.0% 206	1506

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Prayer? by Religious Tradition

	Roman Catholic	White conservative, evangelical, or fundamentalist	Black Protestant	White liberal or moderate	Non-Christian	TOTAL
Yes	98.7% 78	70.8% 522	61.1% 217	84.2% 240	96.1% 49	73.4% 1106
No	1.3% 1	29.2% 215	38.9% 138	15.8% 45	3.9% 2	26.6% 401
TOTAL	100.0% 79	100.0% 737	100.0% 355	100.0% 285	100.0% 51	1507

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Prayer? by Theology

	More on the conservative side	Right in the middle	More on the liberal side	Missing	TOTAL
Yes	74.0% 676	68.2% 290	90.0% 108	30	73.7% 1074
No	26.0% 237	31.8% 135	10.0% 12	17	26.3% 384
TOTAL	100.0% 913	100.0% 425	100.0% 120	47	1458

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Prayer? by Year

	1998	2006	TOTAL
Yes	73.6% 906	73.4% 1105	73.5% 2011
No	26.4% 325	26.6% 401	26.5% 726
TOTAL	100.0% 1231	100.0% 1506	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.