Strength of affiliation - Belief Statistics Topic
(ASK EVERYONE WITH ANY RELIGIOUS PREFERENCE NAMED IN RELIG) Would you call yourself a strong (PREFERENCE NAMED IN RELIG) or a not very strong (PREFERENCE NAMED IN RELIG)? (RELITENV)(General Social Survey, 2021)
Strength of affiliation by Age
| 18-29 | 30-44 | 45-59 | 60-74 | 75 or older | Total | Missing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong | 12.2%36 | 14.8%102 | 18.0%103 | 23.7%142 | 30.5%67 | 19.0%450 | 33 |
| Not very strong | 15.6%46 | 19.5%134 | 27.8%159 | 27.5%165 | 26.4%58 | 23.7%562 | 39 |
| Somewhat strong | 8.5%25 | 11.6%80 | 15.4%88 | 14.0%84 | 17.3%38 | 13.3%315 | 23 |
| No religion | 63.7%188 | 54.1%372 | 38.8%222 | 34.7%208 | 25.9%57 | 44.1%1047 | 74 |
| Missing | 111 | 292 | 335 | 424 | 163 | 1658 | 164 |
| Total | 100%295 | 100%688 | 100%572 | 100%599 | 100%220 | 2374 |
Strength of affiliation by Worship attendance
| Never | About once a year or less | Several times a year | One to three times a month | Nearly every week | Every week or several times a week | Total | Missing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong | 3.3%32 | 9.0%58 | 13.4%29 | 29.6%48 | 44.3%82 | 66.3%232 | 19.0%481 | 2 |
| Not very strong | 14.9%145 | 38.4%248 | 43.8%95 | 23.5%38 | 17.8%33 | 12.0%42 | 23.7%601 | 0 |
| Somewhat strong | 4.0%39 | 12.1%78 | 30.4%66 | 30.9%50 | 29.7%55 | 13.7%48 | 13.3%336 | 2 |
| No religion | 77.8%758 | 40.5%261 | 12.4%27 | 16.0%26 | 8.1%15 | 8.0%28 | 44.0%1115 | 6 |
| Missing | 204 | 373 | 186 | 160 | 146 | 360 | 1499 | 60 |
| Total | 100%974 | 100%645 | 100%217 | 100%162 | 100%185 | 100%350 | 2533 |
Strength of affiliation by Household income
| Under $5,000 | $5,000 to $9,999 | $10,000 to $14,999 | $15,000 to $19,999 | $20,000 to $24,999 | $25,000 or more | Total | Missing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong | 30.6%30 | 16.7%11 | 27.6%29 | 18.7%17 | 19.4%19 | 17.7%325 | 18.8%431 | 52 |
| Not very strong | 16.3%16 | 18.2%12 | 22.9%24 | 23.1%21 | 26.5%26 | 24.5%450 | 24.0%549 | 52 |
| Somewhat strong | 7.1%7 | 18.2%12 | 12.4%13 | 8.8%8 | 10.2%10 | 13.5%247 | 13.0%297 | 41 |
| No religion | 45.9%45 | 47.0%31 | 37.1%39 | 49.5%45 | 43.9%43 | 44.2%811 | 44.3%1014 | 107 |
| Missing | 46 | 35 | 62 | 49 | 51 | 975 | 1741 | 271 |
| Total | 100%98 | 100%66 | 100%105 | 100%91 | 100%98 | 100%1833 | 2291 |
Strength of affiliation by Political ideology
| Extremely liberal or liberal | Slightly liberal | Moderate, middle of the road | Slightly conservative | Extremely conservative or conservative | Total | Missing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong | 10.8%68 | 11.7%39 | 17.7%151 | 22.2%62 | 36.6%157 | 18.9%477 | 6 |
| Not very strong | 15.9%100 | 24.1%80 | 26.1%222 | 33.0%92 | 24.2%104 | 23.7%598 | 3 |
| Somewhat strong | 8.3%52 | 9.9%33 | 14.8%126 | 15.8%44 | 18.9%81 | 13.3%336 | 2 |
| No religion | 65.1%410 | 54.2%180 | 41.4%353 | 29.0%81 | 20.3%87 | 44.1%1111 | 10 |
| Missing | 200 | 158 | 525 | 197 | 362 | 1510 | 47 |
| Total | 100%630 | 100%332 | 100%852 | 100%279 | 100%429 | 2522 |
Strength of affiliation by Religion
| Protestant | Catholic | Jewish/Other | None | Total | Missing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong | 38.2%330 | 26.5%107 | 30.1%46 | 0.0%0 | 19.0%483 | 0 |
| Not very strong | 39.8%344 | 48.5%196 | 39.9%61 | 0.0%0 | 23.6%601 | 0 |
| Somewhat strong | 22.1%191 | 25.0%101 | 30.1%46 | 0.0%0 | 13.3%338 | 0 |
| No religion | 0.0%0 | 0.0%0 | 0.0%0 | 100.0%1121 | 44.1%1121 | 0 |
| Missing | 849 | 420 | 139 | 0 | 1489 | 81 |
| Total | 100%865 | 100%404 | 100%153 | 100%1121 | 2543 |
Strength of affiliation by Sex
| Male | Female | Total | Missing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong | 16.9%196 | 20.8%282 | 19.0%478 | 5 |
| Not very strong | 24.8%288 | 22.7%307 | 23.6%595 | 6 |
| Somewhat strong | 10.8%125 | 15.5%210 | 13.3%335 | 3 |
| No religion | 47.5%552 | 41.0%556 | 44.0%1108 | 13 |
| Missing | 575 | 849 | 1516 | 65 |
| Total | 100%1161 | 100%1355 | 2516 |
Related variables
A similar question appeared on General Social Survey 2014 Cross-Section and Panel Combined, (Inapplicable Responses Coded as Missing)Would you call yourself a strong [religious preference] or a not very strong [religious preference]? (RELITEN)
Notes
The General Social Surveys (GSS) have been conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) annually since 1972, except for the years 1979, 1981, and 1992 (a supplement was added in 1992), and biennially beginning in 1994. The GSS are designed to be part of a program of social indicator research, replicating questionnaire items and wording in order to facilitate time-trend studies. This data file has all cases and variables asked on the 2021 GSS.The 2021 cross-sectional General Social Survey has been updated to Release Version 3 as of July 2023. This Release includes the addition of respondent spouse/partner religious identities, socioeconomic statuses, and work information (including Occupation and Industry coding), and additional information about respondents' religious background.
To download syntax files for the GSS that reproduce well-known religious group recodes, including RELTRAD, please visit the ARDA's Syntax Repository.
