Overreporting Church Attendance in America: Evidence That Demands the Same Verdict

Responds to comments by Theodore Caplow, Michael Hout & Andrew Greeley, & Robert D. Woodberry (all, 1998 [see abstract 9809981, 9810019, & 9810065, respectively]) regarding the authors' (1993) analysis that concluded that surveys grossly inflate US church attendance. Criticisms concerning population estimates, comparison of unlike data sets, & count data collection are answered, & new evidence supporting the original conclusion is presented, eg, diocesan-level data on 38% of the US Catholic population & interviews with 300 evangelical Protestants. It is asserted that surveys roughly double actual church attendance, the weekly church attendance rate of Catholics is well less than 30%, & overreporting is socially influenced &, thus, subject to change over time. 16 References. E. Blackwell

Duke Scholars

Author Mark Chaves Sociology