Survey of Clergy in Indianapolis, 2000

DOI

10.17605/OSF.IO/ECNGH

Citation

Mirola, W. A. (2021, February 9). Survey of Clergy in Indianapolis, 2000.

Summary

The purpose of this study was to learn about the role local clergy and their congregations play in shaping community life in Indianapolis and the extent of the clergy's active involvement in neighborhood and community affairs. The study also was designed to collect descriptive data regarding the characteristics, attitudes, religious beliefs and practices, and professional activities of Christian clergy in the city.

The ARDA has added six additional variables to the original data set to enhance the users' experience on our site.

Data File

Cases: 261
Variables: 176
Weight Variable: None

Data Collection

February to June 2000

Funded By

The Lilly Endowment, Inc., under the auspices of the Religion and Urban Culture Project at the Polis Center at Indiana University and Purdue University-Indianapolis (IUPUI).

Collection Procedures

Telephone interviews, using the University of California Computer-Assisted Survey Methods software (CASES), were conducted. Calls were placed to the churches between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., Saturdays; and 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., on Sundays.

Sampling Procedures

The population identified included Christian clergy who were considered "in charge" or who were senior ministers of congregations in Indianapolis. Three denominational subsamples were targeted: Catholic, mainline Protestant and independent Christian (a catchall category that included all other Christian ministers).

The sample was selected from the Church Federation Directory of Congregations & Ministers (Indianapolis). All 39 Catholic churches and 177 mainline Protestant churches were selected. A random sample of 301 independent Christian churches was selected out of 850 possible. Because of difficulties in contacting many of the small independent Christian churches, staff searched for updated telephone numbers and addresses on the Internet and through directory assistance. A pre-survey letter was mailed to each church. Center for Survey Research staff then called each minister to arrange a convenient time for clergy to answer the survey. The target sample was to be 39 Catholic clergy, 177 mainline Protestant clergy and 200 independent Christian clergy. Of the eligible Catholic clergy, 25 completed interviews, for a response rate of 69.4%. Of the eligible Mainline Protestant clergy, 125 completed interviews for a response rate of 77.6%. Of the eligible independent Christian clergy, 111 completed the interview, No oversampling or weighting procedures were used.

Principal Investigators

William A. Mirola