Presbyterian Panel Survey, May 2015 - Gender and Leadership in the PC(USA), All

DOI

10.17605/OSF.IO/8QKTN

Citation

Androit, A., & Chung, S. (2020, April 9). Presbyterian Panel Survey, May 2015 - Gender and Leadership in the PC(USA), All.

Summary

The Presbyterian Panel consists of two nationally representative samples of groups affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.): members of congregations and teaching elders (ministers of the Word and Sacrament). A new group of panelists are invited to participate every three years. Panel surveys are conducted quarterly, by mail or with an online completion option. The Panel is maintained and directed by the office of Research Services of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The first Panel was created in 1973 to provide a means of informing leaders of the opinions and activities of Presbyterians across the church. Survey topics and questions are usually developed at the request of, and in consultation with, staff or elected members of national church entities. However, ultimate decisions on content and the disposition of Panel data are those of Research Services. Standards developed by the American Association of Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) guide Panel surveys, and Research Services is a charter member of AAPOR's Transparency Initiative. This study was commissioned by the Racial Ethnic and Women's Ministries office of the Presbyterian Mission Agency. This panel study is part of a larger research project assessing the status of women at all levels of the church and conducted in two main research areas: theological and sociological. The goals of this broader study are to (1) learn more about how women participate in leadership within the PC(USA); (2) gain a keener grasp of what factors support or constrain women's ministry; and (3) gain deeper insight into the varying experiences of men and women in ministry, including similarities and differences in compensation, career trajectories, and decisions to leave ministry.

Data File

Cases: 1746
Variables: 263
Weight Variable: None

Data Collection

Sept. 13, 2015 - Jan. 4, 2016

Original Survey (Instrument)

Gender and Leadership in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 2015 Survey

Funded By

Racial Ethnic & Women's Ministries Office of the Presbyterian Mission Agency

Collection Procedures

A total of 6,134 panelists (sampled and volunteer) were invited to participate in this survey. Surveys were written in English and Spanish, and were distributed via both web-based and paper questionnaires (however, the Spanish version was only available as a web-based survey). The paper questionnaire was mailed on August 22, 2015 to 4,563 individuals who were sampled to become panelists. The web survey was distributed on September 8, 2015 via email invitation to 1,571 panel volunteers and sampled panelists who have requested web-based surveys. All web non-respondents were sent email reminders on September 13, 2015 and September 22, 2015. Returns for both versions of the survey were accepted through January 4, 2016.

Sampling Procedures

This survey is the second full Presbyterian Panel survey to be completed by the 2015-2017 panelists. It consists of two nationally representative groups of respondents affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.): members and teaching elders. This particular study consists of 58 percent sampled and 42 percent volunteer respondents. For additional information on the Presbyterian Panel and its sampling and distribution, please see Appendix B.

Response Rate: Research Services did not have a correct address for 256 of the 6,134 panelists (sampled and volunteer) who were invited to participate in this survey. As a result, there were a total of 5,878 successful deliveries of the survey. In the end, 1,746 panelists completed the survey. The response rate (total surveys answered/total surveys sent) is 28 percent and the engagement rate (total surveys answered/total surveys successfully delivered to recipients) is 30 percent.

Principal Investigators

Research Services, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Angie Androit, PhD and Deb Coe, PhD.
In partnership with Sera Chung