WLS Codebooks

Note: Codebooks contain frequency data from the private data release. For some variables, these differ from the frequencies in the public release. Variables that differ between the public and private versions include "(not available on public release)" as part of the variable description, or a note indicating the difference between the public and private versions.

Mail: Religion and Spirituality

Graduate Mail: Religion and Spirituality Module

OVERVIEW

This module replicates the Religion and Spirituality section of the 2004 mail
survey, with a few additions and some minor downsizing. Since, unlike during
the 2004 round of data collection, information on religious preferences and the
frequency with which participants attend religious services was not collected
during the in-person CAPI interview, such questions have been moved to the mail
survey. Furthermore, a question about the frequency with which participants
rely on people in their religious communities for "practical support" has been
added. Beyond these focuses, the module addresses attitudes toward religion,
spirituality, and the Bible, the importance of religion in participants' lives,
and the use of religion or spirituality to find comfort or guidance in
difficult times. 


BRIEF VARIABLE DESCRIPTIONS

    Variable ranges reference dataset/codebook order and are not necessarily 
    alphabetical.
    _____________________________________________________________________
    
    JL001RE:	    	   Current Religious Preference
    
    JL002REC-JL004REC:     Frequency of Attendance at Religious Services
    
    JL100RER:   	   Frequency of Reliance on Members of Religious
    			   Community for "Practical Support"

    JL003RER-JL004RER:     Importance of Religion/Spirituality

    JL006RER-JL012RER:     Salience of Religion/Spirituality in Daily Life 

    JL013RER-JL016RER:     Seeking Comfort Through Religion/Spirituality

    JL017RER-JL018RER:     Stance on the Bible

jl001re: What is your current religious preference?

Data source: Graduate Participant or Proxy      Collected in: 2011      Mode: Mail
Source variables: y_relig1, y_relig1a, c_y_relig1, c_y_relig1a

Frequencies
Value Label Male Female Total
. System missing - NR 2513 2413 4926
-29 LEFT BLANK ON SAQ 235 182 417
-1 DON'T KNOW 1 0 1
0 No Religion, None 233 138 371
1 Roman Catholic 820 1058 1878
2 Greek Orthodox 0 4 4
5 Serbian Orthodox 2 1 3
6 Eastern Orthodox 1 2 3
7 Jewish 17 19 36
10 Scientologist 1 0 1
12 Yoga 1 0 1
13 Church Of Religious Science 1 2 3
14 Metaphysicist 0 2 2
18 Protestant (No Denomination Given, Born Again, Born Again Christian, Christian, No Preference, Nothing Particular) 35 25 60
19 Protestant, Non-Denominational (R Must Have Used The Words 'Non-Denominational' For Religious Preference) 7 9 16
20 Community Church, No Denomination 2 2 4
21 Evangelical 14 14 28
22 Evangelical Free 7 5 12
23 Covenant 0 6 6
26 Swedish Covenant 1 0 1
28 Evangelical Covenant 1 1 2
30 Central Christian 0 1 1
31 First Christian 0 1 1
32 Christian 45 40 85
34 Moravian 2 8 10
37 First Assembly Of God 1 5 6
38 Presbyterian 52 76 128
39 Lutheran, Evangelical Lutheran, Congregational Lutheran, Reformed Lutheran, Synod Lutheran 617 764 1381
40 United Church Of Christ, Congregational Evangelical And Reformed 59 89 148
41 Episcopalian, Anglican 26 35 61
42 Reformed, Dutch, Swiss, And Christian Reformed, First Reformed, Church Of America 9 10 19
43 United Methodist, Methodist, Evangelical United Brethren, Free Methodist, Primitive Methodist, Nazarene Free Methodist 130 197 327
44 Baptist, Southern Baptist, Free Will Baptist, Primitive Baptist 35 51 86
46 Disciples Of Christ 0 1 1
48 Church Of God, Church Of Christ, Church Of God And Christ 5 8 13
50 Brethren 2 0 2
51 Salvation Army 0 1 1
52 Seventh Day Adventist 1 4 5
59 Bible Christian 2 3 5
60 Bible Church, Bible Chapel 1 1 2
63 Fundamentalist 1 2 3
65 Christian Missionary Alliance 2 4 6
68 Pentecostal, Assembly Of God 6 14 20
69 Christian Scientist 2 3 5
70 Mormon, Latter Day Saints 8 7 15
71 Jehovah's Witnesses 4 12 16
72 Unity 0 4 4
74 Quaker 0 1 1
75 Unitarian 6 18 24
77 Islam/Muslim (OTHER CODE 8) 0 1 1
80 Taoist 0 1 1
83 Zen Buddhist 2 2 4
85 Pantheist 1 1 2
87 Nazarene 1 7 8
88 Native American, American Indian 1 0 1
90 Congregational 2 2 4
91 Interdenominational 1 1 2
92 Ecumenical 1 1 2
93 Agnostic 14 6 20
94 Atheist 7 3 10
96 Other religions, not established religion or changing religion with no clue of what they are changing to 6 5 11
100 Independently Faithful, Personal Religion 19 24 43
101 Christian Non-Denominational with no mention of Protestantism 9 10 19
102 Non-Denominational (No Further Specification) 16 14 30
103 Universal/All Religions OK/No Preference 0 1 1
104 Gnosticism 1 2 3
105 New Thought (Christian-Based) 2 2 4
Note: Code "18" was only assigned if the participant reported a Protestant religious preference without specifying a particular denomination (or if the denomination reported did not fall into any of the existing Protestant denominational categories); code "19" was assigned if the participant specified a preference for "non-denominational" Protestantism. Code "100" was only assigned if the participant reported faith or spirituality independent of organized religion (e.g. "I just believe in God" or "reading the Bible" or "personal belief system"); it does not signify the same thing as "no religion." Similarly, code "103" was assigned if the participant reported an openness to all religions.
Note: All positive values except (0 1 7 18 19 21 22 32 38-44 71 75 93 100 101 102) have been coded as 96 ("other") on the public release.

jl002rec: Raw numeric component for frequency of attendance at religious services in the past year.

Data source: Graduate Participant or Proxy      Collected in: 2011      Mode: Mail
Source variables: y_relig2_a, y_rgnw2_ar, y_rgnw21_ar, inProxySAQ, y_rgnw21_a

Frequencies
Value Label Male Female Total
. System missing - NR 2513 2413 4926
-29 LEFT BLANK ON SAQ 286 263 549
-1 DON'T KNOW 2 4 6
0 NO SERVICES ATTENDED 491 378 869
1 341 620 961
2 - 10 402 459 861
12 - 49 372 424 796
50 - 60 401 483 884
62 - 530 183 282 465
Note: If the participant's answer included fractions or decimals, it has been rounded up to the nearest integer.
Note: The data for this variable was derived from responses to the following mail survey question: "About how often, if at all, have you attended religious services during the past year?"

jl003red: Time units corresponding to the numeric component for frequency of attendance at religious services in the past year.

Data source: Graduate Participant or Proxy      Collected in: 2011      Mode: Mail
Source variables: y_relig2_b, y_rgnw2_br, y_rgnw21_br, inProxySAQ, y_rgnw21_b

Frequencies
Value Label Male Female Total
. System missing - NR 2513 2413 4926
-29 LEFT BLANK ON SAQ 7 5 12
-2 779 645 1424
1 DAY 6 11 17
2 WEEK 279 600 879
3 MONTH 45 64 109
4 YEAR 1362 1588 2950
Note: See JL002REC for the numeric component of frequency of attendance at religious services in the past year. JL003RED is only applicable if the participant provided a positive and nonzero numeric value for church attendance at JL002REC. If they did not, JL003RED has been assigned a value of "-2" and coded as inappropriate.
Note: If no time unit was specified in the response, it was assumed that the frequency given was per year and JL003RED was assigned a value of "4" and coded as "times per year."
Note: The data for this variable was derived from responses to the following mail survey question: "About how often, if at all, have you attended religious services during the past year?"

jl004rec: Frequency of attendance at religious services converted to total times in the past year.

Data source: Graduate Participant or Proxy      Collected in: 2011      Mode: Mail
Source variables: y_relig2_a, y_relig2_b, y_rgnw2_ar, y_rgnw2_br, y_rgnw21_ar, y_rgnw21_br, inProxySAQ, y_rgnw21_a, y_rgnw21_b

Frequencies
Value Label Male Female Total
. System missing - NR 2513 2413 4926
-29 LEFT BLANK ON SAQ 293 268 561
-1 DON'T KNOW 2 4 6
0 Never, Or Less Than Once A Year 491 378 869
1 1-2 Times Per Year 157 168 325
2 3-5 Times Per Year 136 132 268
3 6-9 Times Per Year 75 62 137
4 Approximately Once A Month (10-18 Times Per Year) 119 113 232
5 Approximately Twice A Month (19-29 Times Per Year) 95 113 208
6 Approximately Three Times A Month (30-44 Times Per Year) 154 195 349
7 Approximately Once A Week (45-78 Times Per Year) 844 1253 2097
8 Approximately Twice A Week (79-128 Times Per Year) 53 122 175
9 Approximately Three Times A Week (129-175 Times Per Year) 19 43 62
10 4-6 Times Per Week (176-320 Times Per Year) 17 27 44
11 Approximately Once A Day Or More (321-730 Times Per Year) 23 35 58
Note: This variable was constructed from JL002REC and JL003RED. A code of "don't know," "refused," or "not ascertained" at JL002REC leads to the same code here. A code of "inappropriate" at JL003RED does not, however, always imply a missing value code for JL004REC. This is because JL003RED could have been coded as "inappropriate" due to JL002REC having a value of "0," which is a meaningful value in terms of total attendance over the course of the past year.
Note: The data for this variable was derived from responses to the following mail survey question: "About how often, if at all, have you attended religious services during the past year?"

jl100rer: How often do you turn to people in your religious community for practical support, such as financial assistance, food preparation, or transportation?

Data source: Graduate Participant or Proxy      Collected in: 2011      Mode: Mail
Source variables: y_relig4

Frequencies
Value Label Male Female Total
. System missing - NR 2513 2413 4926
-29 LEFT BLANK ON SAQ 145 144 289
-27 NOT ASKED OF PROXY 13 14 27
-4 NOT ASCERTAINED 3 4 7
-3 REFUSED 0 1 1
1 NEVER 1833 2112 3945
2 RARELY 318 350 668
3 SOMETIMES 140 233 373
4 OFTEN 26 55 81

jl003rer: How important is religion in your life?

Data source: Graduate Participant or Proxy      Collected in: 2011      Mode: Mail
Source variables: y_relig3_1

Frequencies
Value Label Male Female Total
. System missing - NR 2513 2413 4926
-29 LEFT BLANK ON SAQ 118 127 245
-27 NOT ASKED OF PROXY 13 14 27
-4 NOT ASCERTAINED 0 1 1
-3 REFUSED 1 1 2
1 NOT AT ALL 221 134 355
2 NOT VERY 258 183 441
3 SOMEWHAT 567 468 1035
4 VERY 743 900 1643
5 EXTREMELY 557 1085 1642

jl004rer: How important is spirituality in your life?

Data source: Graduate Participant or Proxy      Collected in: 2011      Mode: Mail
Source variables: y_relig3_2

Frequencies
Value Label Male Female Total
. System missing - NR 2513 2413 4926
-29 LEFT BLANK ON SAQ 123 137 260
-27 NOT ASKED OF PROXY 13 14 27
-3 REFUSED 1 1 2
1 NOT AT ALL 156 52 208
2 NOT VERY 207 91 298
3 SOMEWHAT 578 422 1000
4 VERY 783 917 1700
5 EXTREMELY 617 1279 1896

jl006rer: How closely do you identify with being a member of a religious group?

Data source: Graduate Participant or Proxy      Collected in: 2011      Mode: Mail
Source variables: y_relig3_3

Frequencies
Value Label Male Female Total
. System missing - NR 2513 2413 4926
-29 LEFT BLANK ON SAQ 130 144 274
-27 NOT ASKED OF PROXY 13 14 27
-4 NOT ASCERTAINED 1 2 3
-3 REFUSED 1 1 2
1 NOT AT ALL 465 364 829
2 NOT VERY 389 309 698
3 SOMEWHAT 440 471 911
4 VERY 604 750 1354
5 EXTREMELY 435 858 1293

jl007rer: How important is it for you to be with other people who are the same religion as you?

Data source: Graduate Participant or Proxy      Collected in: 2011      Mode: Mail
Source variables: y_relig3_4

Frequencies
Value Label Male Female Total
. System missing - NR 2513 2413 4926
-29 LEFT BLANK ON SAQ 119 126 245
-27 NOT ASKED OF PROXY 13 14 27
-4 NOT ASCERTAINED 1 2 3
-3 REFUSED 1 1 2
1 NOT AT ALL 924 857 1781
2 NOT VERY 586 591 1177
3 SOMEWHAT 504 711 1215
4 VERY 215 349 564
5 EXTREMELY 115 262 377

jl008rer: How important do you think it is for people of your religion to marry other people who are the same religion?

Data source: Graduate Participant or Proxy      Collected in: 2011      Mode: Mail
Source variables: y_relig3_5

Frequencies
Value Label Male Female Total
. System missing - NR 2513 2413 4926
-29 LEFT BLANK ON SAQ 124 130 254
-27 NOT ASKED OF PROXY 13 14 27
-3 REFUSED 1 1 2
1 NOT AT ALL 901 906 1807
2 NOT VERY 475 531 1006
3 SOMEWHAT 564 786 1350
4 VERY 297 351 648
5 EXTREMELY 103 194 297

jl009rer: How strongly do you believe that one should stick to a particular faith?

Data source: Graduate Participant or Proxy      Collected in: 2011      Mode: Mail
Source variables: y_relig3_6

Frequencies
Value Label Male Female Total
. System missing - NR 2513 2413 4926
-29 LEFT BLANK ON SAQ 122 144 266
-27 NOT ASKED OF PROXY 13 14 27
-4 NOT ASCERTAINED 1 0 1
-3 REFUSED 1 1 2
-1 DON'T KNOW 1 1 2
1 NOT AT ALL 770 899 1669
2 NOT VERY 432 498 930
3 SOMEWHAT 541 699 1240
4 VERY 405 424 829
5 EXTREMELY 192 233 425

jl010rer: How important was religion in your home when you were growing up?

Data source: Graduate Participant or Proxy      Collected in: 2011      Mode: Mail
Source variables: y_relig3_7

Frequencies
Value Label Male Female Total
. System missing - NR 2513 2413 4926
-29 LEFT BLANK ON SAQ 126 128 254
-27 NOT ASKED OF PROXY 13 14 27
-4 NOT ASCERTAINED 2 2 4
-3 REFUSED 1 1 2
1 NOT AT ALL 101 102 203
2 NOT VERY 297 262 559
3 SOMEWHAT 619 583 1202
4 VERY 853 925 1778
5 EXTREMELY 466 896 1362

jl011rer: When you have important decisions to make in your life, how much do you rely on your religious or spiritual beliefs?

Data source: Graduate Participant or Proxy      Collected in: 2011      Mode: Mail
Source variables: y_relig3_8

Frequencies
Value Label Male Female Total
. System missing - NR 2513 2413 4926
-29 LEFT BLANK ON SAQ 121 125 246
-27 NOT ASKED OF PROXY 13 14 27
-4 NOT ASCERTAINED 1 1 2
-3 REFUSED 1 1 2
1 NOT AT ALL 400 198 598
2 NOT VERY 322 190 512
3 SOMEWHAT 665 613 1278
4 VERY 617 884 1501
5 EXTREMELY 338 887 1225

jl012rer: How much would your spiritual or religious beliefs influence your medical decisions if you were to become gravely ill?

Data source: Graduate Participant or Proxy      Collected in: 2011      Mode: Mail
Source variables: y_relig3_9

Frequencies
Value Label Male Female Total
. System missing - NR 2513 2413 4926
-29 LEFT BLANK ON SAQ 123 128 251
-27 NOT ASKED OF PROXY 13 14 27
-4 NOT ASCERTAINED 2 1 3
-3 REFUSED 1 1 2
-1 DON'T KNOW 1 1 2
1 NOT AT ALL 518 379 897
2 NOT VERY 293 181 474
3 SOMEWHAT 572 608 1180
4 VERY 555 743 1298
5 EXTREMELY 400 857 1257

jl013rer: When you have problems or difficulties in your family, work, or personal life, how often do you seek comfort through praying?

Data source: Graduate Participant or Proxy      Collected in: 2011      Mode: Mail
Source variables: y_relig5_1

Frequencies
Value Label Male Female Total
. System missing - NR 2513 2413 4926
-29 LEFT BLANK ON SAQ 133 118 251
-27 NOT ASKED OF PROXY 13 14 27
-4 NOT ASCERTAINED 1 0 1
-3 REFUSED 0 1 1
1 NEVER 422 162 584
2 RARELY 306 147 453
3 SOMETIMES 713 565 1278
4 OFTEN 890 1906 2796

jl014rer: When you have problems or difficulties in your family, work, or personal life, how often do you seek comfort through meditating?

Data source: Graduate Participant or Proxy      Collected in: 2011      Mode: Mail
Source variables: y_relig5_2

Frequencies
Value Label Male Female Total
. System missing - NR 2513 2413 4926
-29 LEFT BLANK ON SAQ 145 143 288
-27 NOT ASKED OF PROXY 13 14 27
-4 NOT ASCERTAINED 1 0 1
-3 REFUSED 0 1 1
1 NEVER 675 580 1255
2 RARELY 569 542 1111
3 SOMETIMES 751 997 1748
4 OFTEN 324 636 960

jl015rer: When you have problems or difficulties in your family, work, or personal life, how often do you seek comfort through attending a religious or spiritual service?

Data source: Graduate Participant or Proxy      Collected in: 2011      Mode: Mail
Source variables: y_relig5_3

Frequencies
Value Label Male Female Total
. System missing - NR 2513 2413 4926
-29 LEFT BLANK ON SAQ 137 135 272
-27 NOT ASKED OF PROXY 13 14 27
-4 NOT ASCERTAINED 2 3 5
-3 REFUSED 0 1 1
1 NEVER 771 575 1346
2 RARELY 471 429 900
3 SOMETIMES 620 726 1346
4 OFTEN 464 1030 1494

jl016rer: When you have problems or difficulties in your family, work, or personal life, how often do you seek comfort through talking to a religious or spiritual advisor?

Data source: Graduate Participant or Proxy      Collected in: 2011      Mode: Mail
Source variables: y_relig5_4

Frequencies
Value Label Male Female Total
. System missing - NR 2513 2413 4926
-29 LEFT BLANK ON SAQ 139 130 269
-27 NOT ASKED OF PROXY 13 14 27
-4 NOT ASCERTAINED 0 1 1
-3 REFUSED 0 1 1
1 NEVER 1123 1064 2187
2 RARELY 722 837 1559
3 SOMETIMES 396 644 1040
4 OFTEN 85 222 307

jl017rer: To what extent do you agree that the Bible is God's word and everything happened or will happen exactly as it says?

Data source: Graduate Participant or Proxy      Collected in: 2011      Mode: Mail
Source variables: y_relig6_1

Frequencies
Value Label Male Female Total
. System missing - NR 2513 2413 4926
-29 LEFT BLANK ON SAQ 134 135 269
-27 NOT ASKED OF PROXY 13 14 27
-4 NOT ASCERTAINED 1 2 3
-3 REFUSED 1 1 2
1 STRONGLY AGREE 433 621 1054
2 AGREE 479 543 1022
3 NEITHER AGREE NOR DISAGREE 756 903 1659
4 DISAGREE 264 327 591
5 STRONGLY DISAGREE 397 367 764

jl018rer: To what extent to you agree that the Bible is the answer to all important human problems?

Data source: Graduate Participant or Proxy      Collected in: 2011      Mode: Mail
Source variables: y_relig6_2

Frequencies
Value Label Male Female Total
. System missing - NR 2513 2413 4926
-29 LEFT BLANK ON SAQ 134 141 275
-27 NOT ASKED OF PROXY 13 14 27
-4 NOT ASCERTAINED 0 1 1
-3 REFUSED 1 1 2
1 STRONGLY AGREE 371 548 919
2 AGREE 445 584 1029
3 NEITHER AGREE NOR DISAGREE 886 1072 1958
4 DISAGREE 300 268 568
5 STRONGLY DISAGREE 328 284 612

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