While this survey comes in the midst of an election campaign, it is not primarily about politics. This means that people who might think of themselves, say, as ethnic Mormons but not Mormons in a religious sense may not necessarily be captured in this survey. So this survey covers people who currently describe themselves religiously as Mormon. Please note that in this survey we’ve defined Mormons in the same way that we define other religious groups in all our surveys, that is, through self-identification. So we know something about what the general public knows and thinks about Mormons, but what do Mormons themselves think about their place in American life? With the rising prominence of members of the LDS Church in politics, popular culture and the media, do Mormons feel more secure and accepted in American society? And what exactly are their religious beliefs and practices? This new survey seeks to answer these questions and more. The most commonly offered response: cult. In an open-ended question, we asked what one word best describes the Mormon religion. adults say the Mormon faith is not a Christian religion, and another fifth or so say that they are unsure whether Mormonism is Christian. The same survey found that one-third of U.S. And as you folks well know, we’re not a country of particularly tough graders. Indeed, in a survey we conducted this past November, half of Americans told us that they know very little or nothing about Mormonism. And the hit musical “The Book of Mormon” was playing on Broadway.Ī Newsweek article stated that despite the sudden proliferation of Mormons in the mainstream, Mormonism itself wasn’t gaining any mainstream acceptance. Mormon author, Stephenie Meyer, was in the spotlight for her bestselling “Twilight” vampire novels. was experiencing a “Mormon moment.” Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman had made clear their presidential aspirations. The idea for this survey came about this past summer when some articles in prominent media outlets declared that the U.S. As many of you know, we are a project of the Pew Research Center, which is a nonpartisan organization that does not take positions on issues or policy debates. I’m Luis Lugo, as was mentioned I’m the director of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. As far as we know, this is the first survey of its kind ever published by a non-LDS research organization. Good morning to all of you, and thank you for joining us today to discuss the findings of our national survey of Mormons. LUIS LUGO, PEW FORUM ON RELIGION & PUBLIC LIFE: Thank you. It is now my pleasure to turn the conference over to Mr. Please note this call is being recorded and I’ll be standing by should you need any assistance. We will go to the question and answer portion after brief remarks from our speakers. They are joined by two members of the survey’s advisory board - David Campbell, associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame, and Matt Bowman, visiting assistant professor of religion at Hampden-Sydney College. Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, will moderate the discussion, and Greg Smith, the Pew Forum’s senior researcher and lead author of this survey, will present the findings. OPERATOR: Hello and thank you for joining us today for the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life’s Q&A session on the findings from a new survey, Mormons in America: Certain in Their Beliefs, Uncertain of Their Place in Society. Missionary Experience Affecting Attitudes Younger Mormons More Politically ConservativeĪ Community Within the American Community Ideologically Conservative and Republican Not in the Mainstream But Gaining Acceptance Luis Lugo, Director, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life Matthew Bowman, Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion, Hampden-Sydney College Greg Smith, Senior Researcher, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Lifeĭavid Campbell, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Notre Dame 16, 2011, among a national sample of 1,019 respondents who currently describe their religion as “Mormon.” It is the first nationally representative survey of Mormons ever undertaken by a non-LDS research organization. In a conference call with journalists, the Forum’s staff discussed the findings of Mormons in America: Certain in Their Beliefs, Uncertain of Their Place in Society. A new comprehensive survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life examines Mormons’ beliefs and practices, political ideology, and attitudes toward their faith, family life, the media and society.
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