Did the people speak or read or recite something together at any point? (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.

---

Reading or Recitation? (National Congregations Study 2006-2007)     [Results weighted by W1]

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

---

Reading or Recitation? (Demographic Patterns)

---

Reading or Recitation? by Year Founded

	Before 1900	1900-1950	1951-1999	2000 or Later	Missing	TOTAL
Yes	73.0% 262	62.6% 243	48.2% 273	72.4% 71	39	60.2% 849
No	27.0% 97	37.4% 145	51.8% 293	27.6% 27	49	39.8% 562
MISSING	0	0	5	0	0	5
TOTAL	100.0% 359	100.0% 388	100.0% 566	100.0% 98	88	1411

[Back to Top]

---

Reading or Recitation? by Adult Members

	25 or Less	26-50	51-100	101-200	More than 200	Missing	TOTAL
Yes	55.9% 109	59.2% 222	55.1% 206	55.9% 162	70.9% 185	5	59.1% 884
No	44.1% 86	40.8% 153	44.9% 168	44.1% 128	29.1% 76	0	40.9% 611
MISSING	5	0	0	0	0	0	5
TOTAL	100.0% 195	100.0% 375	100.0% 374	100.0% 290	100.0% 261	5	1495

[Back to Top]

---

Reading or Recitation? by Political Ideology

	More on the conservative side	Right in the middle	More on the liberal side	Missing	TOTAL
Yes	48.5% 398	74.8% 362	81.8% 90	38	60.1% 850
No	51.5% 423	25.2% 122	18.2% 20	46	39.9% 565
MISSING	0	5	0	0	5
TOTAL	100.0% 821	100.0% 484	100.0% 110	84	1415

[Back to Top]

---

Reading or Recitation? 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	76.6% 151	56.5% 218	57.5% 408	53.9% 111	59.2% 888
No	23.4% 46	43.5% 168	42.5% 302	46.1% 95	40.8% 611
MISSING	0	0	5	0	5
TOTAL	100.0% 197	100.0% 386	100.0% 710	100.0% 206	1499

[Back to Top]

---

Reading or Recitation? by Religious Tradition

	Roman Catholic	White conservative, evangelical, or fundamentalist	Black Protestant	White liberal or moderate	Non-Christian	TOTAL
Yes	97.3% 72	33.0% 243	75.8% 269	93.7% 266	76.0% 38	59.2% 888
No	2.7% 2	67.0% 494	24.2% 86	6.3% 18	24.0% 12	40.8% 612
MISSING	5	0	0	0	0	5
TOTAL	100.0% 74	100.0% 737	100.0% 355	100.0% 284	100.0% 50	1500

[Back to Top]

---

Reading or Recitation? by Theology

	More on the conservative side	Right in the middle	More on the liberal side	Missing	TOTAL
Yes	51.3% 466	72.2% 307	79.3% 96	20	59.7% 869
No	48.7% 443	27.8% 118	20.7% 25	27	40.3% 586
MISSING	5	0	0	0	5
TOTAL	100.0% 909	100.0% 425	100.0% 121	47	1455

[Back to Top]

---

Reading or Recitation? by Year

	1998	2006	TOTAL
Yes	63.0% 777	59.2% 889	60.9% 1666
No	37.0% 456	40.8% 612	39.1% 1068
MISSING	1	5	6
TOTAL	100.0% 1233	100.0% 1501	2734

[Back to Top]

---

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.