Measuring Church Attendance: A Further Look
Recent research on Protestants and Catholics in the United States has shown that estimates of worship attendance based on individual survey reports yield significantly higher totals than the attendance numbers reported by the churches. This paper provides additional evidence on the discrepancy using...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Springer
1999
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| In: |
Review of religious research
Year: 1999, Volume: 41, Issue: 1, Pages: 122-130 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | Recent research on Protestants and Catholics in the United States has shown that estimates of worship attendance based on individual survey reports yield significantly higher totals than the attendance numbers reported by the churches. This paper provides additional evidence on the discrepancy using data for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for 1990, 1993, and 1996. In each year estimates of church attendance based on individual survey responses are higher than independent estimates based on congregational reports. Further analyses examine additional questions on church absences and the use of time on Sundays to evaluate alternative measurement strategies. The results suggest that more accurate estimates of church attendance are possible using surveys but that entirely valid estimates are unlikely as long as social desirability influences self reports. |
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| ISSN: | 2211-4866 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Review of religious research
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/3512431 |