The National Congregations Study – Wave II, sponsored by the Lilly Endowment, National Science Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, and Louisville Institute, and carried out by Principal Investigator Mark Chaves at the University of Arizona, aimed to document the work, programs, and activities of America’s religious congregations. The information collected is used by scholars, religious leaders, policy makers, and students to better understand the activities, characteristics, and social composition of all types of religious congregations and better meet their changing needs.

Wave II, conducted in 2006-2007, was a follow-up to the first National Congregations Study, conducted in 1998, which was the first ever high quality survey of a nationally representative sample of congregations. It yielded many articles as well as the recent book published by the Principal Investigator, Congregations in America (Harvard University Press, 2004). The Wave II sample consisted of congregations named in the General Social Survey (GSS) 2006 interviews, as well as a sub-sample of congregations identified during Wave I.

The second wave of the study examines stability and change in congregations’ core characteristics and activities, including their social composition, size, social service involvement, political activity, neighborhood embeddedness, connections with other religious and secular organizations, and many other things. NORC conducted the survey in both waves.

Related Links:
National Congregations Study at the University of Arizona