Strength of affiliation (Demographic Patterns)

Would you call yourself a strong [RELIGIOUS PREFERENCE] or a not very strong [RELIGIOUS PREFERENCE]?. Results weighted by WTCOMB (General Social Survey 2008 Cross-Section and Panel Combined)

Strength of affiliation by Age

	18-29 years old	30-44 years old	45-59 years old	60-74 years old	75 years and old	Missing	TOTAL
Strong	27.2% 201	29.1% 279	34.5% 348	40.8% 234	50.8% 127	14	33.7% 1189
Not very strong	33.6% 249	34.6% 331	38.4% 387	34.4% 197	32.4% 81	4	35.3% 1245
Somewhat strong	6.6% 49	7.1% 68	6.8% 69	9.6% 55	7.2% 18	1	7.3% 259
No religion	25.3% 187	19.4% 186	13.0% 131	10.8% 62	5.2% 13	3	16.4% 579
Don't know	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.2% 2	0.0% 0	0.4% 1	0	0.1% 3
No answer	7.3% 54	9.8% 94	7.0% 71	4.4% 25	4.0% 10	4	7.2% 254
Missing	0	0	3	0	0	0	3
TOTAL	100.0% 740	100.0% 958	100.0% 1008	100.0% 573	100.0% 250	26	3529

Strength of affiliation by Sex

	Male	Female	TOTAL
Strong	29.0% 468	37.8% 735	33.8% 1203
Not very strong	36.9% 597	33.6% 653	35.1% 1250
Somewhat strong	6.3% 101	8.2% 159	7.3% 260
No religion	22.3% 360	11.4% 222	16.4% 582
Don't know	0.1% 1	0.2% 3	0.1% 4
No answer	5.5% 89	8.8% 170	7.3% 259
Missing	0	3	3
TOTAL	100.0% 1616	100.0% 1942	3558

Strength of affiliation by Region

	Northeast	Midwest	South	West	TOTAL
Strong	29.4% 178	35.8% 272	40.7% 532	24.9% 220	33.8% 1202
Not very strong	32.1% 194	35.5% 270	35.8% 468	36.0% 318	35.2% 1250
Somewhat strong	10.9% 66	5.0% 38	7.0% 92	7.2% 64	7.3% 260
No religion	17.9% 108	18.7% 142	10.5% 137	21.9% 194	16.3% 581
Don't know	0.3% 2	0.0% 0	0.1% 1	0.0% 0	0.1% 3
No answer	9.4% 57	5.0% 38	5.9% 77	10.0% 88	7.3% 260
Missing	0	0	0	3	3
TOTAL	100.0% 605	100.0% 760	100.0% 1307	100.0% 884	3556

Strength of affiliation by Political ideology

	Liberal	Moderate	Conservative	Missing	TOTAL
Strong	23.1% 215	30.2% 396	46.4% 550	41	33.9% 1161
Not very strong	35.4% 329	38.1% 500	31.7% 376	44	35.2% 1205
Somewhat strong	7.0% 65	7.6% 100	7.8% 92	3	7.5% 257
No religion	26.9% 250	15.9% 208	8.6% 102	21	16.3% 560
Don't know	0.0% 0	0.1% 1	0.0% 0	1	0.0% 1
No answer	7.6% 71	8.2% 107	5.5% 65	15	7.1% 243
Missing	1	2	0	0	3
TOTAL	100.0% 930	100.0% 1312	100.0% 1185	125	3427

Strength of affiliation by Religion

	Protestant	Catholic	Jewish	None	Other	Missing	TOTAL
Strong	48.8% 857	34.2% 310	54.7% 35	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0	33.9% 1202
Not very strong	41.1% 721	55.6% 504	39.1% 25	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0	35.3% 1250
Somewhat strong	9.4% 165	10.2% 92	6.3% 4	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0	7.4% 261
No religion	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	100.0% 582	0.0% 0	0	16.4% 582
Don't know	0.2% 3	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0	0.1% 3
No answer	0.6% 10	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	100.0% 238	11	7.0% 248
TOTAL	100.0% 1756	100.0% 906	100.0% 64	100.0% 582	100.0% 238	11	3546

Strength of affiliation by Race

	White	Black	Other	TOTAL
Strong	33.2% 920	44.6% 200	24.6% 83	33.8% 1203
Not very strong	37.2% 1032	25.9% 116	30.2% 102	35.1% 1250
Somewhat strong	7.1% 198	7.8% 35	7.7% 26	7.3% 259
No religion	16.7% 464	13.6% 61	16.9% 57	16.4% 582
Don't know	0.1% 3	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.1% 3
No answer	5.6% 154	8.0% 36	20.7% 70	7.3% 260
Missing	3	0	0	3
TOTAL	100.0% 2771	100.0% 448	100.0% 338	3557

Strength of affiliation by Education

	Left high school	High school	Junior college	Bachelor	Graduate	Missing	TOTAL
Strong	28.9% 141	34.0% 606	32.9% 98	35.7% 229	36.7% 127	1	33.8% 1201
Not very strong	41.2% 201	36.1% 643	39.3% 117	33.2% 213	22.3% 77	0	35.2% 1251
Somewhat strong	7.0% 34	7.4% 131	6.0% 18	7.0% 45	9.2% 32	0	7.3% 260
No religion	17.2% 84	16.2% 289	12.1% 36	16.4% 105	19.9% 69	0	16.4% 583
Don't know	0.2% 1	0.1% 2	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0	0.1% 3
No answer	5.5% 27	6.2% 111	9.7% 29	7.8% 50	11.8% 41	1	7.3% 258
Missing	0	2	0	1	0	0	3
TOTAL	100.0% 488	100.0% 1782	100.0% 298	100.0% 642	100.0% 346	2	3556

Notes

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 to be part of a program of social indicator research, replicating questionnaire items and wording in order to facilitate time-trend studies. The 2008 GSS featured special modules on attitudes toward science and technology, self-employment, terrorism preparation, global economics, sports and leisure, social inequality, sexual behaviors and religion. Items on religion covered denominational affiliation, church attendance, religious upbringing, personal beliefs, and religious experiences.

The GSS is in transition from a replicating cross-sectional design to a design that uses rotating panels. In 2008 there were two components: a new 2008 cross-section with 2,023 cases and the first re-interviews (panel) with 1,536 respondents from the 2006 GSS. The 2,023 cases in the cross-section have been previously released as a part of the 1972-2008 cumulative data. This new release includes those 1,536 re-interviewed panel cases along with the 2,023 cases. Please note that this is not a cumulative file - those cases and variables not surveyed in 2008 are excluded. Also note that, although those 1,536 cases were from the 2006 sample, this release does not include their responses in 2006. We plan to release a data file with the previous responses in the future. This release introduces new variables that were asked only of the panel cases of the 2008 GSS. The majority of variables introduced are related to the 2007 International Social Survey Program (ISSP) module on leisure time and sports.