Frequency of Prayer

• Introduction
• Patterns
• Over Time
• Other Surveys

Frequency of Prayer (Demographic Patterns)

About how often do you pray?

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Frequency of Prayer by Age (General Social Survey, 2006)

	18-30	31-44	45-64	65+	Missing	TOTAL
DAILY +	21.1% 124	30.5% 257	33.9% 350	36.8% 192	3	30.9% 923
DAILY	27.1% 159	29.9% 252	27.8% 287	31.2% 163	2	28.9% 861
SEV.A WK.	13.1% 77	11.2% 94	11.7% 121	7.7% 40	0	11.1% 332
WEEKLY	8.2% 48	6.1% 51	6.3% 65	5.4% 28	0	6.4% 192
- WEEKLY	12.9% 76	12.2% 103	10.6% 109	10.2% 53	1	11.4% 341
NEVER	16.5% 97	10.0% 84	9.1% 94	7.9% 41	0	10.6% 316
DON'T KNOW	0.7% 4	0.0% 0	0.4% 4	0.4% 2	1	0.3% 10
NO ANSWER	0.3% 2	0.1% 1	0.3% 3	0.6% 3	1	0.3% 9
Missing	263	447	563	235	10	1518
TOTAL	100% 587	100% 842	100% 1033	100% 522	18	2984

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Frequency of Prayer by Race (General Social Survey, 2006)

	White	Black	Other	TOTAL
DAILY +	28.7% 624	49.6% 207	23.9% 95	30.9% 926
DAILY	27.9% 608	29.0% 121	33.8% 134	28.8% 863
SEV.A WK.	11.6% 253	8.2% 34	11.3% 45	11.1% 332
WEEKLY	6.6% 143	4.3% 18	7.8% 31	6.4% 192
- WEEKLY	12.4% 269	5.3% 22	12.8% 51	11.4% 342
NEVER	12.4% 269	3.1% 13	8.6% 34	10.6% 316
DON'T KNOW	0.3% 6	0.2% 1	1.0% 4	0.4% 11
NO ANSWER	0.3% 6	0.2% 1	0.8% 3	0.3% 10
Missing	1106	217	195	1518
TOTAL	100% 2178	100% 417	100% 397	2992

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Frequency of Prayer by Religion (General Social Survey, 2006)

	Protestant	Catholic	Jewish	None	Other	Missing	TOTAL
DAILY +	40.6% 627	24.3% 180	21.2% 11	9.5% 47	38.8% 57	4	31.0% 922
DAILY	30.1% 466	36.5% 270	25.0% 13	15.4% 76	25.2% 37	1	28.9% 862
SEV.A WK.	11.3% 174	13.9% 103	9.6% 5	6.7% 33	10.9% 16	1	11.1% 331
WEEKLY	6.0% 92	8.6% 64	9.6% 5	5.9% 29	1.4% 2	0	6.4% 192
- WEEKLY	8.9% 138	10.4% 77	17.3% 9	20.5% 101	11.6% 17	0	11.5% 342
NEVER	2.8% 44	5.7% 42	17.3% 9	40.8% 201	12.2% 18	2	10.5% 314
DON'T KNOW	0.2% 3	0.3% 2	0.0% 0	1.0% 5	0.0% 0	1	0.3% 10
NO ANSWER	0.1% 2	0.3% 2	0.0% 0	0.2% 1	0.0% 0	5	0.2% 5
Missing	782	374	26	246	78	12	1518
TOTAL	100% 1546	100% 740	100% 52	100% 493	100% 147	26	2978

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Frequency of Prayer by Gender (General Social Survey, 2006)

	MALE	FEMALE	TOTAL
DAILY +	21.8% 283	37.9% 643	30.9% 926
DAILY	26.0% 337	31.0% 526	28.8% 863
SEV.A WK.	11.4% 148	10.8% 184	11.1% 332
WEEKLY	7.2% 93	5.8% 99	6.4% 192
- WEEKLY	15.8% 205	8.1% 137	11.4% 342
NEVER	16.7% 217	5.8% 99	10.6% 316
DON'T KNOW	0.6% 8	0.2% 3	0.4% 11
NO ANSWER	0.4% 5	0.3% 5	0.3% 10
Missing	707	811	1518
TOTAL	100% 1296	100% 1696	2992

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Frequency of Prayer by Church attendance (General Social Survey, 2006)

	Never	Yearly	Monthly	Weekly	Missing	TOTAL
DAILY +	14.8% 104	18.2% 162	30.8% 140	55.5% 518	2	31.0% 924
DAILY	20.2% 142	28.8% 257	39.4% 179	30.4% 284	1	28.9% 862
SEV.A WK.	8.8% 62	13.9% 124	14.1% 64	8.8% 82	0	11.1% 332
WEEKLY	7.0% 49	8.6% 77	7.5% 34	3.3% 31	1	6.4% 191
- WEEKLY	17.8% 125	19.5% 174	6.2% 28	1.5% 14	1	11.4% 341
NEVER	30.4% 214	10.4% 93	1.5% 7	0.2% 2	0	10.6% 316
DON'T KNOW	1.0% 7	0.2% 2	0.2% 1	0.0% 0	1	0.3% 10
NO ANSWER	0.1% 1	0.2% 2	0.2% 1	0.2% 2	4	0.2% 6
Missing	316	484	234	475	9	1518
TOTAL	100% 704	100% 891	100% 454	100% 933	19	2982

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Frequency of Prayer by Political ideology (General Social Survey, 2006)

	Liberal	Moderate	Conservative	Missing	TOTAL
DAILY +	25.5% 200	28.6% 314	37.3% 377	35	30.8% 891
DAILY	26.0% 204	30.1% 331	30.0% 303	25	29.0% 838
SEV.A WK.	11.8% 93	10.5% 115	11.5% 116	8	11.2% 324
WEEKLY	6.4% 50	7.6% 83	5.5% 56	3	6.5% 189
- WEEKLY	12.2% 96	12.3% 135	10.0% 101	10	11.5% 332
NEVER	17.6% 138	10.2% 112	5.2% 53	13	10.5% 303
DON'T KNOW	0.1% 1	0.3% 3	0.4% 4	3	0.3% 8
NO ANSWER	0.4% 3	0.5% 5	0.0% 0	2	0.3% 8
Missing	395	585	460	78	1518
TOTAL	100% 785	100% 1098	100% 1010	177	2893

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Frequency of Prayer by Education (General Social Survey, 2006)

	Not High School	High School	Jr. College	B.A.	Grad Degree	Missing	TOTAL
DAILY +	28.1% 124	34.0% 505	37.2% 100	25.6% 134	23.2% 63	0	30.9% 926
DAILY	33.7% 149	27.9% 414	28.6% 77	28.2% 148	27.7% 75	0	28.8% 863
SEV.A WK.	11.5% 51	9.7% 144	11.2% 30	14.1% 74	12.2% 33	0	11.1% 332
WEEKLY	7.5% 33	6.0% 89	7.4% 20	6.5% 34	5.9% 16	0	6.4% 192
- WEEKLY	9.5% 42	12.0% 179	10.0% 27	12.6% 66	10.3% 28	0	11.4% 342
NEVER	9.3% 41	9.6% 143	5.2% 14	12.4% 65	19.6% 53	0	10.6% 316
DON'T KNOW	0.5% 2	0.4% 6	0.4% 1	0.2% 1	0.4% 1	0	0.4% 11
NO ANSWER	0.0% 0	0.4% 6	0.0% 0	0.4% 2	0.7% 2	0	0.3% 10
Missing	249	787	108	239	132	3	1518
TOTAL	100% 442	100% 1486	100% 269	100% 524	100% 271	3	2992

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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.