Survey of Religious, Social Service and Community Organizations in Metropolitan Chicago, 1996

DOI

10.17605/OSF.IO/SDJGV

Citation

Livezey, L. W., Wedam, E., & Greenfield, L. L. (2021, June 2). Survey of Religious, Social Service and Community Organizations in Metropolitan Chicago, 1996.

Summary

This survey was conducted to supplement the research on congregations being conducted by the Religion in Urban America Program. The primary concern was to learn whether and to what extent religious, social service and community organizations related to and extended the work of churches. That is, whether they bridged geographic and/or social boundaries and whether there was a difference between religious and secular organizations with respect to the bridging function.

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

Data File

Cases: 571
Variables: 91
Weight Variable: None

Data Collection

These data were collected between November 1, 1995, and March 31, 1996. In addition, a sample of respondents who answered "e" to question #2 ["Yes" on VAR6 (ORGTYPE6)] were re-surveyed in March and April of 1997. Thus, records that contain answers to one or more of questions 3 through 14 were obtained through this second re-administration of the survey.

Funded By

The Lilly Endowment, Inc.
Park Ridge Center of Health, Faith, and Ethics

Collection Procedures

Data were obtained by means of a self-administered survey that was mailed to respondents with a self-addressed return envelope. An attempt was made to contact all nonrespondents by telephone and conduct the questionnaire by means of a telephone survey.

Sampling Procedures

The population was composed of all the identifiable religious, social service and community organizations in the Chicago metropolitan area. However, religious congregations and government organizations were excluded. Using the Yellow Pages, the United Way directory and other available organizational directories, a list of 4,013 organizations was assembled. In ambiguous cases, the survey directors determined whether organizations fit the survey definition (for example, community health centers were included, but hospitals and nursing homes were not).

The organizations were listed in alphabetical order, and a survey was sent to every third organization listed, for a total of 1,589. A total of 571 responses were received by mail or telephone resulting in a response rate of 36%.

Principal Investigators

Dr. Lowell W. Livezey, Director and Principal Investigator
Religion in Urban America Program
University of Illinois at Chicago

Dr. Elfriede Wedam, Associate Director and Research Associate
Research Associate, Religion in Urban Culture Project, The Polis Center, IUPUI

Dr. Larry L. Greenfield, Research Scholar, The Park Ridge Center for Health, Faith and Ethics