Pew 2011 National Survey of Mormons

DOI

10.17605/OSF.IO/ZB5AN

Summary

Over the years, numerous polls have gauged public attitudes toward Mormons, who make up about two percent of all U.S. adults. But what do Mormons themselves think about their place in American life? With the rising prominence of members of the LDS Church in politics, popular culture and the media, do Mormons feel more secure and accepted in American society? What do they think of other religions? What do they believe, how do they practice their faith and what do they see as essential to being a good Mormon and to leading a good life?

To answer such questions, the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life conducted the 2011 National Survey of Mormons. A report detailing the survey's findings, "Mormons in America," was released in January, 2012 and is available on the Forum's website here.

The study had two main goals. First, it sought to learn about Mormons' perceptions of American society and of their own place within it at a time when Mormons and Mormonism are receiving increased attention in the news media and popular culture. Second, it sought to assess the degree to which Mormons resemble or are distinctive from the broader public in their social and political attitudes and in their religious beliefs and practices. As such, the survey included a mix of new questions specific to Mormons and Mormonism and "trend" questions that have previously been asked of the general population in Pew Research Center surveys. The development of the survey questionnaire was informed by the advice and feedback received from a panel of advisers with expertise in the study of the U.S. Mormon population.

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

Data File

Cases: 1019
Variables: 106
Weight Variable: WEIGHT

Data Collection

October 25 - November 16, 2011

Original Survey (Instrument)

Original Codebook

Funded By

Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life

Collection Procedures

Telephone interviews

Sampling Procedures

Results for the survey are based on telephone interviews conducted Oct. 25-Nov. 16, 2011, among a national sample of 1,019 Mormon adults 18 years old and older; 694 interviews were conducted on landlines and 325 were conducted on cell phones. The survey was conducted by Social Science Research Solutions (SSRS). Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish.

Mormons constitute a rare population in the U.S.; Pew surveys conducted in 2011 found that 1.9 percent of U.S. adults describe themselves as Mormons. In order to sample Mormons efficiently, the study design involved oversampling certain regions of the country where Mormons are most numerous (as a percentage of the overall population) and recontacting self-identified Mormons from previous surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center and by SSRS. When data collection was completed, the sample was weighted to correct for the geographic stratification and to account for the use of recontact sample in the study (more details on weighting are provided below). This ensures that Mormons from the various geographic regions of the country and from a variety of demographic groups are represented in the sample in their proper proportions. See original codebook for more information regarding sample design.

Principal Investigators

Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life