February 2024 Newsletter

Thank you for reading our newsletter and taking an interest in the ARDA. We are excited to continue our mission of bringing you free, high-quality data on religion.

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Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative

 

Through this national and competitive initiative, the Endowment is inviting eligible charitable organizations to apply for grants of up to $1.25 million that may be used for up to a five-year period to establish new and/or enhance existing programs that support congregations as they design intergenerational corporate worship services and prayer practices that more intentionally and fully engage children and nurture their faith.

 

The Endowment is especially interested in supporting programs that help congregations address one or more of the following objectives:

  • Strengthening worship and prayer practices that attend to and respect how children experience God and express their faith.
  • Enhancing worship and prayer practices that are more fully inclusive of all children, including children with disabilities.
  • Drawing more fully on the arts (e.g., music, visual arts, drama, etc.) to enhance the experience of worship and prayer for children.
  • Creating opportunities for Bible storytelling that help children hear and tell stories of faith through worship and prayer practices.
  • Enhancing worship and prayer practices that more intentionally connect worship with the daily lives of children and their families.

 

More detailed information about the aim and objectives of this new initiative, as well as eligibility criteria and proposal guidelines, may be found at the Endowment’s Nurturing Children Initiative webpage.

Data Sets Added:



We are excited to announce that we added five new datasets:


-Baylor Religion Survey, Wave VI (2021)

Check out our data archive for Waves I-V of the Baylor Religion Survey.


-Putting Politics First, Experimental Data


-Putting Politics First, Panel Data


-The Australian Survey of Social Attitudes, 2016


-The Australian Survey of Social Attitudes, 2018


Looking for even more data? Here are some helpful ARDA links:

-Categorized list of all data files

-Newest additions

Updated Data Set:



In January 2024, the ARDA added 21 religious tradition (RELTRAD) variables to the U.S. Religion Census - Religious Congregations and Membership Study, 2020. This includes the County File, Metro Area File, and State File.


The RCMS compiled data on 372 religious bodies by county in the United States. Create free membership reports at the county, metro, state, and national levels, or create custom denominational reports. Users can also now download the U.S. Religion Census County, Metro Area, and State files for 2020. Explore the 2020 U.S. Religion Census now!

Free Online "Exploring Religion" Course Materials:


If you are an instructor returning to the classroom, check out our brand-new Online Course! It is free for instructors to adapt for their own use. Exploring Religion is a college-level online course that allows students to learn more about America's diverse religious landscape and discover the shape of religion around the world. Students will explore religion data for themselves with ARDA learning modules and watch interviews with prominent religion scholars. Suggested research projects and readings are included too.

The first sample dataset from the Global Flourishing Study (GFS) initiative is now available to researchers, with the project’s initial full dataset scheduled for release in the coming months through the Center for Open Science (COS).


The GFS, a partnership among Gallup, COS, and researchers at Baylor University and Harvard University, is a $43.4 million, five-year study of 200,000 individuals in 22 countries. The GFS data will be an open-access resource for researchers, journalists, policymakers, and educators worldwide.


While several studies have tracked respondents over time in a single country, the scope and breadth of GFS is unprecedented.


The sample dataset release offers a first glimpse into data that will yield valuable insights over the next several years.


Researchers can access GFS data in three ways:

  • Preregistration: Preregister an analysis plan now to receive early access to the full dataset available in the coming months at cos.io/gfs.
  • Registered Report: Early access is also available to those that submit a Registered Report to a journal. With Registered Reports, a journal reviews the preregistration plan and agrees to publish the findings regardless of the outcome, protecting against publication bias.
  • Public release: Those wishing to receive the data without preregistration can access the non-sensitive data on the first anniversary of data release for each wave. Access to sensitive data will require institutional review board approval.


For more information on GFS’s data access, visit: cos.io/gfs and Sign up for updates.

Historical Maps:


The ARDA recently added a new map tool. Historical Maps are interactive U.S. maps of religion affiliation and other topics from 1770-1930 with state rankings. Other map tools that can be found on the ARDA are U.S. State and U.S. County maps.

Social Media Conversations:


Last month, we posted about belief in demons, the 2022 Study of Spirituality in the United States survey, Americans' prevailing fears, and Religious 'Nones' in America.


We also regularly post about conferences, new research, podcasts, lectures, and other opportunities of interest to our readers.


Want to join the conversations? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Anniversaries of Historical Events:


In January, there are many anniversaries of significant events in religious history. These include the Salem Witch Trials (1692-93), Cumberland Presbyterian Church (1810), Emerson v. Board of Education (1947), Formation of the Alliance of Baptists (1987), and the Siege of the Branch Davidian Compund (1993).


In addition to reading about these single events, you can delve into substantially more religious history by viewing any of our nine interactive timelines. These include specific timelines dedicated to religious groups, women, race/ethnicity, and more.

Feature of the Month:



Beliefs (Quickstats)


Browse dozens of topics with responses from major national surveys and demographic paterns. Check out our Quickstats here.

Check out the new General Social Survey 2022 on The ARDA


The revised General Social Survey, 2022 is now live on our website. If you downloaded this dataset previously, please download the latest version here.


The General Social Surveys (GSS) have been conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) annually since 1972 and biannually 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 2022 GSS.

Submitting Data to the ARDA:


Do you have a data source that you would like to store in our archive? The process is safe, easy, and convenient. We even have resources to reimburse you for your time. Get the process started by clicking on the link below. If you know of a data source that you'd like us to pursue, please let us know at [email protected]. Download the submission form here.

The Association of Religion Data Archives | Website
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