What does this indicator measure?
This indicator measures the religious adherence and attendance of religious services by members of the Dallas Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area (PMSA). Members include only adult members, whereas adherence includes adults and children. The total county population was divided by the total county population less children ages 13 and under, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau, and the resulting figure was multiplied by the confirmed members. We can measure levels of religious adherence by dividing the number of people attending religious services, as determined by the Association of Religious Data Archives, by the total population.
Why is this indicator important?
For many, religious and spiritual activity can serve as a strong indicator of a community's health. Religion is an important part of many people’s lives. Some would argue that a community’s level of spirituality is one of the greatest indicators of its well-being. However, in many ways, spirituality is an internal quality, and as such, can be difficult to measure.
How are we doing?
- 1999 Gallup publication by George Gallup, Jr. and D. Michael Lindsay titled Surveying the Religious Landscape: Trends in U.S. Beliefs noted that 82% of Americans felt the need to experience spiritual growth. Church and synagogue attendance has held fairly steady at approximately 40% over the last 40 years.
The Association of Religious Data Archives (ARDA) reports religious adherence every ten years. The 1990 and 2000 data were collected by representatives of the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies.
- There was a 124% increase in religious adherence in Collin County between 1990 and 2000, generally due to the 86% increase in population during that time.
- Dallas County experienced a 24% increase in religious adherence between 1990 and 2000, a rise which parallels the population growth of 20%.
- Denton County increased in religious adherence by 46% between 1990 and 2000.
- Ellis County increased in religious adherence by 20% between 1990 and 2000, which should be compared with the 31% increase in population during these years.
- Henderson County increased in religious adherence 36% between 1990 and 2000, while Hunt County’s increase was 7%.
- Kaufman County increased in religious adherence by 22%, and Rockwall County’s adherence increased 75% between 1990 and 2000.
- The Dallas PMSA’s adherence level increased 31% between 1990 and 2000. In Texas as a whole, the adherence level increased by 13%, a change greater than the national adherence percentage change of 8% between 1990 and 2000.
The Gallup publication titled Surveying the Religious Landscape notes that “one cannot understand America without acknowledging the influence and impact of religion” (Gallup & Lindsay, 1999). The survey reveals the following:
- America remains a predominantly Christian nation. Of the American population, 82% feel the need to experience spiritual growth. More than half (53%) of congregation members in the United States now strongly agree that the other members of their congregation are committed to spiritual growth.
The Association of Religious Data Archives reports religious congregations and membership data every ten years. The following percentage changes were calculated from the number of congregations per 1,000 population from 1990 to 2000:
- With the exception of Ellis County (15% increase in congregation membership per 1,000), all counties saw a decrease in the number of congregation members between 1990 and 2000. The largest decrease was in Collin County at 36%.