Demographics of Religious Participation: An Ecological Approach, 1850-1980

In an attempt to explain who is joining which church and why, research on religious participation has often focused on the individual. In this essay I use an ecological approach to look at the social context of religious adherence in 1850, 1890, 1926 and 1980. I argue that both mobility and composition of an area's population influences the church's ability to attract and retain members. Through use of census data, I demonstrate that migration, natural increase and sex ratio all affect an area's rate of church adherence. When applied to the historical development of America, these results help to explain why the frontiers have served as a home for religious experimentation and have attracted the missionary efforts of churches.