Choose the Method for Aggregating Religious Identities that Is Most Appropriate for Your Research

Authors

Conrad Hackett, University of MarylandFollow
Philip Schwadel, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Gregory A. Smith, Pew Research Center
Elizabeth Podrebarac Sciupac, Pew Research Center
Claire Gecewicz, Pew Research Center

ORCID IDs

Conrad Hackett http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1310-965X

Gregory A. Smith http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6784-8901

Date of this Version

2018

Citation

Published in Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 57:4 (2018), pp 807–816.

doi 10.1111/jssr.12555

Comments

Copyright © 2018 The Society for the Scientific Study of Religion; published by John Wiley & Sons. Used by permission.

Abstract

Some U.S. surveys measure many religious identities, including detailed Protestant affiliations. Researchers must decide how to aggregate these diverse identities. There are now a variety of options for aggregating religious groups into categories. Depending on the research question, it may be appropriate to use one of the existing options or to develop an aggregation strategy tailored to the project in question.