What Proportion of Adult Hispanics Are Catholic? A Review of Survey Data and Methodology

The proportion of Hispanics who are Catholic remains unclear, partly because of varying survey methods and limited understanding of how these variations affect estimates of Hispanic religious identification. We compare 12 national surveys conducted since 1990. Language use strongly predicts religious identification among Hispanics—more strongly than other indicators of assimilation—and evidence suggests English-only interviewing inflates Protestant identification. Additionally, identifying Hispanics through ancestry questions may inflate Catholic identification. We also explore effects of sampling bias, noncoverage bias, and weighting on religious identification. Analyses suggest that poststratification weighting is advisable, particularly for language use. However, weighting cannot fully substitute for extensive coverage of subpopulations such as recent immigrants and Spanish-only speakers. We conclude that 70 percent or slightly more is a reasonable estimate of the proportion of adult Hispanics who are Catholic, and 20 percent a reasonable estimate of the proportion who are Protestant or other Christian.     

AIDS on Campus: A Preliminary Study of College Students' Knowledge and Behaviors

This preliminary study examined the possible relationship between knowledge about AIDS, subjective perception of the risk of contracting AIDS, and sexual behavior in a sample of undergraduate college students (N = 459). The majority of the students indicated that AIDS was not an issue of personal concern. Students were generally informed about AIDS, although one-third of the students were unclear about the transmission of the disease through casual contact. Data analysis indicated that no relationship existed between accurate knowledge about AIDS and sexual behavior. The relationship between self-assessment of personal risk for AIDS and reduced sexual contacts was found to be significant at the .01 level. Recommendations are made regarding AIDS educational and counseling approaches among college students. Please note that the term AIDS is used to represent the presence of HIV antibodies, AIDS-related complex (ARC), and diagnosed AIDS.     

The concept of dichotomous correlation

Abstract.— Intuitive correlation was studied in a 2-by-2 paradigm so as to obtain both quantitative data from prediction behavior and qualitative data from inquiries about the concept. Subjects were relieved of information processing and memory demands. Their prediction behavior but not their understanding of the concept of dichotomous correlation was improved over previous experiments.     

Catholic Schooling and Disaffiliation from Catholicism

Using event history analysis of 849 adults raised Catholic, this research note examines effects of attending Catholic elementary school and high school on the likelihood one remains Catholic. Attending Catholic high school for at least three years significantly reduces the likelihood that one disaffiliates from Catholicism, reducing both the likelihood that one converts to another faith and the likelihood that one chooses to have no religion at all. Additional analyses show that Catholic high school has no significant effect on adult Mass attendance when considering respondents who are currently Catholic. But when analyses include all respondents raised Catholic, Catholic high school produces a positive effect on attendance. This may help explain seemingly conflicting findings in the literature on Catholic schooling and religious commitment.     

MORE THAN A BOOKMARK: EISAI THE THINKER

This essay is a call to Chinese and Japanese-scholars to communicate more fully to the English-speaking world the contribution of Eisai as transmitter of Ch'an Buddhism from China to-Japan in the period around 1200.