Our ties to religion underestimated, study says

WASHINGTON — More Americans are active in religious groups than previously thought, and many others without ties to congregations still believe in God or a higher power, according to a broad survey of faith in America released Monday.

The survey was conducted by the Baylor University Sociology Department and the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion.

Researchers found that only 10.8 percent of Americans have no ties to a congregation, denomination or faith group. Previous surveys had put that figure at 14 percent, overlooking about 10 million people involved in some form of organized religion, the report said.

Other surveys have also overlooked millions of evangelicals, because respondents who belonged to nondenominational groups or megachurches would often report that they had no denomination and were wrongly counted as unaffiliated, the study's authors say.

"People might not have a denomination, but they have a congregation. They have a sense of religious connection that is formative to who they are," said Kevin Dougherty, a sociologist at Baylor's Institute for the Studies of Religion and one of the survey's authors.

The finding reflects the challenges involved in trying to categorize religiosity in America, where people increasingly blend religions, church-shop and worship in independent communities. Classic labels such as mainline, evangelical and unaffiliated no longer have the same meaning.

For example, 33 percent of Americans worship at congregations that are evangelical, which means places that espouse an inerrant Bible, the importance of evangelizing and the requirement of having a personal relationship with Jesus. However, only 15 percent said the term "evangelical" describes their religious identity.

Scholars have been saying for some time that the relevance of denomination is slipping. But the Baylor survey, which asks about subjects including God's personality and what people pray about, adds to a hot debate about what that means.

It reveals the complex ways Americans describe their religiosity, and the minefield for today's scholars in trying to measure it. Are people religious if they go to church? If they believe in God? If they identify with a particular religious group? What if they do one but not the others? Which gets more weight?

Academics who study religious demographics disagree about the unaffiliated — people who check "none" or "no religion" when asked their affiliation — and the Baylor study won't end that debate.

Some say they are mostly secular, people who aren't atheist but don't consider religion important. Some say they are people in interfaith families who have mixed identities. Some say they are new immigrants.

John Green, a senior fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life who studies religion and politics, said Baylor's conclusion about the size of the unaffiliated group is a "necessary and useful corrective." The study sheds light on a growing group Green believes is important to watch because it is a laboratory "for new ideas."

Among the most innovative aspects of the Baylor survey, scholars say, are questions that probe how Americans describe God's personality. Respondents were offered 26 attributes ranging from "absolute" and "wrathful" to "friendly."

Researchers found that the largest category of people — 31 percent — was made up of people who believe God both wrathful and involved in human affairs.

People's beliefs about God's personality are powerful predictors, according to the survey. Those who found God engaged and punishing were likely to have lower incomes and education, to come from the South and be white evangelicals or black Protestants. People who believe God is distant and nonjudgmental are more likely to support increased business regulation, environmental protections and the even distribution of wealth.

The changing demographics of America demand different polls as well, religion pollsters say. For example, approximately 3 percent of Americans come from faith traditions other than Christianity and Judaism. While still small, this group is growing rapidly, and scholars say if current trends continue, that number could reach 10 percent.

According to Democratic pollster Anna Greenberg, who focuses on religion, that is already the figure for Americans under the age of 25. Questions about the frequency of "attending" religious services aren't as relevant to Hindus and Buddhists, who often have worship spaces in their homes. Questions about "weekly" prayer services aren't as relevant to Muslims, who are required to pray five times a day, she said.