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Religion, Belief and Faith

Measuring religiosity and believing without belonging

  • 2 things to know
  • Component 03

Overview

Recall questions on religiosity and the problems of measuring it through attitude surveys and attendance statistics, Davie's believing without belonging and vicarious religion, Voas and Crockett's challenge, belonging without believing, and why religiosity is hard to compare between faiths.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

Define religiosity.

Key term

Give one problem with measuring religious belief through attitude surveys.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Define religiosity.

    Model answer

    The extent and depth of an individual's or group's religious commitment, covering belief, practice, experience and knowledge rather than nominal affiliation alone.

  2. 2

    Give one problem with measuring religious belief through attitude surveys.

    Model answer

    Answers are highly sensitive to how the question is worded, so small changes in phrasing produce very different estimates of belief.

  3. 3

    Give one advantage and one disadvantage of using attendance statistics to measure religiosity.

    Model answer

    They give a consistent behavioural record that can be tracked over time, but they reveal nothing about the depth or sincerity of the belief behind attendance.

  4. 4

    What did Davie mean by believing without belonging?

    Model answer

    That many people in Britain retain religious beliefs privately while no longer attending services or holding formal membership of an organisation.

  5. 5

    Explain Davie's concept of vicarious religion.

    Model answer

    A small active minority practises religion on behalf of a much larger number who approve of it and draw on it at moments of crisis or national significance.

  6. 6

    How did Voas and Crockett challenge the idea of believing without belonging?

    Model answer

    They argued survey evidence shows belief and belonging have declined together, so private belief is not surviving the fall in membership.

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AVictims may fear reprisal, or feel shame or economic dependence.
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CMany incidents are never reported or recorded.

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