The Pie: An Economics Podcast Using Cellphone Data to Observe Religious Worship in the United States
Jun 25, 2024
Devin Pope, a Professor of Economics and Behavioral Science at the Booth School of Business, dives into the intriguing world of cellphone data and its insights on religious attendance in America. He reveals significant discrepancies between self-reported church attendance and actual participation, suggesting rates as low as 5%. The conversation touches on worship patterns across different faiths, the socioeconomic diversity within congregations, and how regular religious attendance might influence moral choices regarding nightlife activities. Fascinating insights emerge regarding the intersection of faith and community.
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Overestimation of Religious Attendance
- Survey data greatly overestimates weekly religious service attendance in the U.S. Actual weekly attendance based on cell phone data is about 5%, not 20-25% as surveys claim.
- Social desirability bias likely causes people to overreport their religiosity in surveys, inflating attendance rates.
High Annual Worship Participation
- Around 73% of Americans enter a place of worship at least once a year, including for events like funerals and weddings.
- This shows a high level of occasional religious engagement beyond weekly attendance.
Religious Attendance Varies by Faith
- Religious attendance frequency varies widely by denomination; Latter-day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses exhibit higher devotion than Catholics.
- There are more weekly attending Mormons than Catholics despite the latter’s larger population.