Religious Preference

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Religious Preference (Demographic Patterns)

What is your religious preference? Is it Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, some other religion, or no religion?


Religious Preference by Age (General Social Survey, 2006)

  18-30 31-44 45-64 65+ Missing TOTAL
Protestant 42.0%
354
48.5%
623
55.8%
886
60.8%
458
7 51.9%
2321
Catholic 25.5%
215
25.6%
329
23.7%
376
25.4%
191
3 24.9%
1111
Jewish 1.5%
13
1.6%
20
1.4%
22
2.9%
22
1 1.7%
77
None 24.8%
209
18.6%
239
13.9%
221
8.9%
67
3 16.5%
736
Other 6.2%
52
5.8%
74
5.2%
82
2.0%
15
2 5.0%
223
Missing 7 4 9 4 2 26
TOTAL 100%
843
100%
1285
100%
1587
100%
753
18 4468

Religious Preference by Race (General Social Survey, 2006)

  White Black Other TOTAL
Protestant 52.7%
1721
77.7%
490
20.0%
117
51.9%
2328
Catholic 22.8%
745
6.5%
41
56.1%
328
24.8%
1114
Jewish 2.3%
74
0.2%
1
0.5%
3
1.7%
78
None 18.0%
587
11.4%
72
13.7%
80
16.5%
739
Other 4.3%
141
4.3%
27
9.7%
57
5.0%
225
Missing 16 3 7 26
TOTAL 100%
3268
100%
631
100%
585
4484

Religious Preference by Gender (General Social Survey, 2006)

  MALE FEMALE TOTAL
Protestant 47.7%
948
55.2%
1380
51.9%
2328
Catholic 24.8%
492
24.9%
622
24.8%
1114
Jewish 1.6%
31
1.9%
47
1.7%
78
None 20.7%
411
13.1%
328
16.5%
739
Other 5.2%
104
4.8%
121
5.0%
225
Missing 17 9 26
TOTAL 100%
1986
100%
2498
4484

Religious Preference by Church attendance (General Social Survey, 2006)

  Never Yearly Monthly Weekly Missing TOTAL
Protestant 27.0%
274
49.6%
679
58.7%
403
68.8%
967
5 51.9%
2323
Catholic 16.3%
165
27.9%
382
29.7%
204
25.8%
362
1 24.9%
1113
Jewish 1.7%
17
3.1%
42
1.2%
8
0.7%
10
1 1.7%
77
None 48.5%
492
14.7%
201
4.2%
29
1.2%
17
0 16.5%
739
Other 6.6%
67
4.8%
66
6.1%
42
3.5%
49
1 5.0%
224
Missing 5 5 2 3 11 26
TOTAL 100%
1015
100%
1370
100%
686
100%
1405
19 4476

Religious Preference by Political ideology (General Social Survey, 2006)

  Liberal Moderate Conservative Missing TOTAL
Protestant 42.7%
502
50.0%
838
62.0%
909
79 52.1%
2249
Catholic 23.1%
271
26.6%
445
24.1%
353
45 24.8%
1069
Jewish 3.7%
43
1.2%
20
0.9%
13
2 1.8%
76
None 24.7%
290
16.9%
284
9.4%
137
28 16.5%
711
Other 5.9%
69
5.3%
89
3.6%
53
14 4.9%
211
Missing 5 7 5 9 26
TOTAL 100%
1175
100%
1676
100%
1465
177 4316

Religious Preference by Education (General Social Survey, 2006)

  Not High School High School Jr. College B.A. Grad Degree Missing TOTAL
Protestant 48.3%
332
55.3%
1253
53.9%
201
50.5%
383
39.5%
158
1 51.9%
2327
Catholic 33.0%
227
22.3%
504
24.9%
93
23.7%
180
27.5%
110
0 24.8%
1114
Jewish 0.4%
3
1.2%
28
2.4%
9
2.6%
20
4.5%
18
0 1.7%
78
None 15.7%
108
15.9%
361
13.9%
52
17.0%
129
22.3%
89
0 16.5%
739
Other 2.6%
18
5.2%
118
4.8%
18
6.1%
46
6.3%
25
0 5.0%
225
Missing 3 9 4 5 3 2 26
TOTAL 100%
688
100%
2264
100%
373
100%
758
100%
400
3 4483

Notes

General Social Survey, 2006: The General Social Surveys (GSS) have been conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) annually since 1972 except for the years 1979, 1981, and 1992 (a supplement was added in 1992), and biennially beginning in 1994. The GSS are designed as part of a program of social indicator research, replicating questionnaire items and wording in order to facilitate time-trend studies. The 2006 GSS includes a topical module for mental health. Items in the 2006 GSS include questions on religious self-identification, denominational affiliation, personal beliefs, and religious upbringing.