Religious Preference

• Introduction
• Patterns
• Over Time
• Other Surveys

Religious Preference (Demographic Patterns)

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

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Religious Preference by Gender (General Social Survey, 2004)

	MALE	FEMALE	TOTAL
PROTESTANT	49.1% 628	55.8% 855	52.7% 1483
CATHOLIC	23.8% 305	22.9% 351	23.3% 656
JEWISH	2.0% 25	2.0% 30	2.0% 55
NONE	17.0% 218	12.1% 185	14.3% 403
OTHER	1.5% 19	1.2% 18	1.3% 37
BUDDHISM	0.5% 7	0.4% 6	0.5% 13
HINDUISM	0.9% 11	0.1% 2	0.5% 13
OTH.EASTRN	0.5% 7	0.4% 6	0.5% 13
ISLAM	0.6% 8	0.5% 8	0.6% 16
ORTH-CHRST	0.3% 4	0.6% 9	0.5% 13
CHRISTIAN	3.0% 38	2.2% 33	2.5% 71
NAT.AMER.	0.0% 0	0.1% 1	0.0% 1
NONDENOM	0.5% 7	1.2% 19	0.9% 26
NO ANSWER	0.2% 3	0.6% 9	0.4% 12
TOTAL	100% 1280	100% 1532	2812

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Religious Preference by Race (General Social Survey, 2004)

	WHITE	BLACK	OTHER	TOTAL
PROTESTANT	51.3% 1145	77.2% 291	23.4% 47	52.7% 1483
CATHOLIC	25.0% 559	4.2% 16	40.3% 81	23.3% 656
JEWISH	2.5% 55	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	2.0% 55
NONE	14.9% 332	11.4% 43	13.9% 28	14.3% 403
OTHER	1.3% 29	0.8% 3	2.5% 5	1.3% 37
BUDDHISM	0.2% 5	0.0% 0	4.0% 8	0.5% 13
HINDUISM	0.0% 1	0.3% 1	5.5% 11	0.5% 13
OTH.EASTRN	0.4% 9	0.3% 1	1.5% 3	0.5% 13
ISLAM	0.2% 5	0.8% 3	4.0% 8	0.6% 16
ORTH-CHRST	0.6% 13	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.5% 13
CHRISTIAN	2.3% 51	2.9% 11	4.5% 9	2.5% 71
NAT.AMER.	0.0% 1	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.0% 1
NONDENOM	0.9% 19	1.9% 7	0.0% 0	0.9% 26
NO ANSWER	0.4% 10	0.3% 1	0.5% 1	0.4% 12
TOTAL	100% 2234	100% 377	100% 201	2812

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Religious Preference by Religion (General Social Survey, 2004)

	PROTESTANT	CATHOLIC	OTHER	NONE	Missing	TOTAL
PROTESTANT	100.0% 1483	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0	53.0% 1483
CATHOLIC	0.0% 0	100.0% 656	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0	23.4% 656
JEWISH	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	21.3% 55	0.0% 0	0	2.0% 55
NONE	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	100.0% 403	0	14.4% 403
OTHER	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	14.3% 37	0.0% 0	0	1.3% 37
BUDDHISM	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	5.0% 13	0.0% 0	0	0.5% 13
HINDUISM	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	5.0% 13	0.0% 0	0	0.5% 13
OTH.EASTRN	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	5.0% 13	0.0% 0	0	0.5% 13
ISLAM	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	6.2% 16	0.0% 0	0	0.6% 16
ORTH-CHRST	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	5.0% 13	0.0% 0	0	0.5% 13
CHRISTIAN	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	27.5% 71	0.0% 0	0	2.5% 71
NAT.AMER.	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.4% 1	0.0% 0	0	0.0% 1
NONDENOM	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	10.1% 26	0.0% 0	0	0.9% 26
NO ANSWER	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	12	0.0% 0
TOTAL	100% 1483	100% 656	100% 258	100% 403	12	2800

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Religious Preference by Age (General Social Survey, 2004)

	18-30	31-44	45-64	65+	Missing	TOTAL
PROTESTANT	46.1% 275	49.1% 398	55.7% 539	62.1% 267	4	52.8% 1479
CATHOLIC	21.8% 130	24.2% 196	22.9% 221	25.1% 108	1	23.4% 655
JEWISH	1.5% 9	1.0% 8	2.3% 22	3.7% 16	0	2.0% 55
NONE	20.3% 121	16.7% 135	12.0% 116	6.7% 29	2	14.3% 401
OTHER	1.7% 10	1.1% 9	1.7% 16	0.5% 2	0	1.3% 37
BUDDHISM	0.7% 4	0.4% 3	0.2% 2	0.9% 4	0	0.5% 13
HINDUISM	0.3% 2	0.7% 6	0.3% 3	0.2% 1	1	0.4% 12
OTH.EASTRN	0.3% 2	0.5% 4	0.6% 6	0.2% 1	0	0.5% 13
ISLAM	1.0% 6	0.9% 7	0.3% 3	0.0% 0	0	0.6% 16
ORTH-CHRST	0.3% 2	0.5% 4	0.7% 7	0.0% 0	0	0.5% 13
CHRISTIAN	4.7% 28	3.3% 27	1.7% 16	0.0% 0	0	2.5% 71
NAT.AMER.	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.1% 1	0.0% 0	0	0.0% 1
NONDENOM	1.2% 7	1.2% 10	0.8% 8	0.2% 1	0	0.9% 26
NO ANSWER	0.0% 0	0.4% 3	0.7% 7	0.2% 1	1	0.4% 11
TOTAL	100% 596	100% 810	100% 967	100% 430	9	2803

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Religious Preference by Church attendance (General Social Survey, 2004)

	NEVER	< 1 A MNTH	< 1 A WEEK	WEEKLY +	Missing	TOTAL
PROTESTANT	28.2% 133	51.2% 494	59.0% 363	65.6% 492	1	52.9% 1482
CATHOLIC	12.7% 60	23.7% 229	28.0% 172	26.0% 195	0	23.4% 656
JEWISH	1.1% 5	3.6% 35	1.8% 11	0.4% 3	1	1.9% 54
NONE	50.1% 236	13.6% 131	4.2% 26	1.3% 10	0	14.4% 403
OTHER	3.8% 18	1.1% 11	0.7% 4	0.5% 4	0	1.3% 37
BUDDHISM	0.6% 3	0.6% 6	0.3% 2	0.3% 2	0	0.5% 13
HINDUISM	0.0% 0	0.9% 9	0.2% 1	0.4% 3	0	0.5% 13
OTH.EASTRN	1.1% 5	0.3% 3	0.5% 3	0.1% 1	1	0.4% 12
ISLAM	0.2% 1	0.4% 4	0.3% 2	1.2% 9	0	0.6% 16
ORTH-CHRST	0.2% 1	0.6% 6	0.7% 4	0.3% 2	0	0.5% 13
CHRISTIAN	0.8% 4	2.8% 27	3.3% 20	2.5% 19	1	2.5% 70
NAT.AMER.	0.2% 1	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0	0.0% 1
NONDENOM	0.4% 2	0.9% 9	1.0% 6	1.2% 9	0	0.9% 26
NO ANSWER	0.4% 2	0.1% 1	0.2% 1	0.1% 1	7	0.2% 5
TOTAL	100% 471	100% 965	100% 615	100% 750	11	2801

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Religious Preference by Political ideology (General Social Survey, 2004)

	LIBERAL	MODERATE	CONSERV	Missing	TOTAL
PROTESTANT	44.2% 141	51.9% 258	60.6% 299	785	53.3% 698
CATHOLIC	20.4% 65	25.4% 126	24.7% 122	343	23.9% 313
JEWISH	1.9% 6	1.2% 6	0.8% 4	39	1.2% 16
NONE	25.4% 81	15.3% 76	7.5% 37	209	14.8% 194
OTHER	1.6% 5	0.8% 4	0.4% 2	26	0.8% 11
BUDDHISM	0.9% 3	0.2% 1	0.6% 3	6	0.5% 7
HINDUISM	0.3% 1	0.8% 4	0.0% 0	8	0.4% 5
OTH.EASTRN	0.3% 1	0.2% 1	0.2% 1	10	0.2% 3
ISLAM	0.6% 2	0.6% 3	0.4% 2	9	0.5% 7
ORTH-CHRST	0.3% 1	0.2% 1	0.2% 1	10	0.2% 3
CHRISTIAN	2.5% 8	2.6% 13	2.8% 14	36	2.7% 35
NAT.AMER.	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	1	0.0% 0
NONDENOM	0.9% 3	0.6% 3	1.4% 7	13	1.0% 13
NO ANSWER	0.6% 2	0.2% 1	0.2% 1	8	0.3% 4
TOTAL	100% 319	100% 497	100% 493	1503	1309

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Religious Preference by Education (General Social Survey, 2004)

	LESS HS	HS DEGREE	JR COLL	BA DEGREE	GRAD DEGRE	Missing	TOTAL
PROTESTANT	53.6% 195	55.5% 796	53.6% 120	47.7% 242	46.3% 130	0	52.8% 1483
CATHOLIC	24.2% 88	22.9% 328	26.3% 59	23.3% 118	22.1% 62	1	23.3% 655
JEWISH	0.0% 0	1.3% 18	0.4% 1	3.7% 19	6.0% 17	0	2.0% 55
NONE	15.9% 58	13.3% 191	10.3% 23	15.6% 79	18.5% 52	0	14.3% 403
OTHER	0.5% 2	1.5% 21	0.4% 1	2.0% 10	1.1% 3	0	1.3% 37
BUDDHISM	0.8% 3	0.2% 3	0.0% 0	1.2% 6	0.4% 1	0	0.5% 13
HINDUISM	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.9% 2	1.2% 6	1.8% 5	0	0.5% 13
OTH.EASTRN	0.8% 3	0.3% 5	0.9% 2	0.0% 0	1.1% 3	0	0.5% 13
ISLAM	0.5% 2	0.4% 6	1.3% 3	0.8% 4	0.4% 1	0	0.6% 16
ORTH-CHRST	0.3% 1	0.4% 6	0.9% 2	0.6% 3	0.4% 1	0	0.5% 13
CHRISTIAN	2.2% 8	3.0% 43	1.3% 3	2.6% 13	1.4% 4	0	2.5% 71
NAT.AMER.	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.4% 1	0	0.0% 1
NONDENOM	0.8% 3	0.9% 13	2.7% 6	0.6% 3	0.4% 1	0	0.9% 26
NO ANSWER	0.3% 1	0.3% 5	0.9% 2	0.8% 4	0.0% 0	0	0.4% 12
TOTAL	100% 364	100% 1435	100% 224	100% 507	100% 281	1	2811

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Notes

General Social Survey, 2004: General Social Survey: Since 1972, the National Opinion Research Center has conducted a nationwide survey of a random sample of U.S. citizens on a near-yearly basis—the General Social Survey (GSS). In addition to gathering detailed demographic information on respondents, the GSS gathers opinions on a wide variety of topics, such as the role of government in public life, controversial issues such as abortion, confidence in public institutions and a host of others. Of course, respondents are unlikely to spend five hours completing a survey so in order to gather data on a broad range of issues the GSS has adopted the practice of rotating groups of questions into and out of the survey in different years.