By Elizabeth A. Keith, M.A.
Thomas J. Hoffman, Ph.D
Department of Political Science
St. Mary’s University San Antonio, Texas
Abstract
The General Social Survey is a survey of the American public which has been collected almost every year since 1972. Currently, the survey compiles two years of data in every data set. The survey has a rich set of questions which deal with religion and politics. A selection of these indicators will be analyzed to see where American Indians stand. For comparative purposes, the results for Anglos, African Americans, and Latinos are also examined and reported on.
Introduction
This paper grew out of a course on Native American Spirituality and Politics Elizabeth Keith took with Hoffman at St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, Texas, during the fall semester, 2007. She was his Graduate Assistant and did not need the course to graduate, but only took it because of her interest in the subject. Thus, near the end of her graduate work, Dr. Hoffman asked her to work with him in preparing a research paper where they would investigate American Indian attitudes and behaviors regarding religion and politics by analyzing the 2006 General Social Survey. This paper examines how American Indians view religion and politics compared to Anglos, African Americans (Blacks), and Latinos.
Indicators on the demographic or regional location of each group have been analyzed in order to compare the location of Indians with that of the other groups. The socio-economic status (SES) of each group have been analyzed to see how each group relates to the others in terms of age, gender, levels of education and income (See Tables 1-1 through 1- 5) Also, the paper reports on the political affiliation, interest and participation of each group (See Tables 2-1 through 2-6). Additionally, salient political issues such as abortion, homosexuality, school prayer, immigration and feelings toward atheist are examined to get an understanding of how tolerant each group was toward those with different beliefs as well as to get an understanding of whether respondents’ religious considerations influenced their political attitudes and behaviors (See Tables 3-1 through 3-10). Finally, indicators of religious belief, such as religious preference, fundamentalism, liberalism, belief in an after life and whether or not respondents had ever had a religious experience that changed their life as well as other indicators of religious attitudes and behaviors are examined (See Table 4-2 through 4-12).
Literature Review
When the Europeans arrived in America in 1492, the lives of Native Americans were forever changed. The people who lived in North America at the time have been known as Indians because of Columbus’s mistaken belief that the Americas were the outer reaches of South East Asia, which is also known as India. Although, nobody really knows how many people lived in the Americas prior to the European invasion, most anthropologist support the evidence that Native Americans existed in the Americas as far back as 25,000 years ago (Barrows, 2007). Prior to contact with Europeans, “several million Indians occupied the area covered today by the forty-eight states” (Hagan, 1993). From ancient times up to recent historic times there were approximately six major cultural areas including the Northwest Coast, Plains, Plateau, Eastern Woodlands, Northern, and the Southwest (Hatfield, 2007).
“Indian populations declined precipitously during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in the wake of contact with Europeans, Africans and the pathogens they brought with them to the Americas” (Hatfield, 2007).An article published by Henry F. Dobyns in the journal Current Anthropology in 1966 and recounted in Do All Indian Live in Tipis? also, indicated the devastating effect of diseases unleashed on Native people by the arrival of Europeans in North and South America. “Beginning in 1525, Smallpox wiped out more than half the population of the Inka Empire. During the following century, typhus, diphtheria, and measles added to the toll.... Dobyns estimated that in the first 130 years after Contact, Native America lost about 95 percent of its population….From the evidence he collected, Dobyns concluded that the Indian population of North America in 1491 was about 18 million and the population for the western hemisphere was about 90 million”(Barrows, 2007). While social scientist continue to investigate the particular reasons for Native population declines, they “generally agree that the population decline triggered a series of changes—demographic, cultural, political, diplomatic—that transformed eastern North America between the sixteenth and eighteen centuries” (Hatfield, 2007).
At the time of contact with Europeans, Native Americans spoke a number of different languages. Although some of these languages have become extinct, many of the originally spoken languages are still in use today. The classification of Native American languages is geographical rather than linguistic. Indians north of Mexico had more than ten totally unrelated language families (Hatfield, 2007). These, in turn were divided into more that 1,800 separate languages, most of which could not be understood by others. Although some tribes lived near others with different language, they did not learn the language of the other tribe. The Cheyenne and Arapaho lived near each other for centuries but never learned each other language. Instead they communicated by sign language.
In addition to sign language, some Indians of different geographical areas communicated with each other by what were known as trade languages, such as the Chinook Jargon in the Northwest; the Choctaw, Chickasaw or Mobile languages in the South, and Comanche in the Southwest. At one time scholars thought that Indian language had no formal structure, but it has now been determined that all the languages have a complete and systematic grammatical structure, capable of expressing any thought (Smithsonian, 2007).
By the middle of the 20th century and as a result of European conquest and settlement in the Americas, approximately sixty percent of the indigenous American languages had died out. Some researchers indicate that about half of the Native American languages north of Mexico are now extinct (Barrows, 2007; Hagan, 1993). Of the languages still in use, more than half are spoken by fewer than 1,000 persons per language; most of the speakers are bilingual (Barrows, 2007). Only a few languages, like Navaho and Cherokee, can claim more than 50,000 speakers. However, Mexico and Central America still have large Native populations that use a number of indigenous languages, such as Nahuatil spoken by approximately 800,000 people and Mayan which is the native language to more than a million people (Gallegos, 2002; Smith & Cousineau, 2006). In South America, the surviving Quechuan linguistic family accounts for several million speakers (Barrows, 2007).
In addition to language, Indians of the different tribes also had various physical and cultural differences. “Red men came in as many different sizes and shapes and skin tones as the whites who overwhelmed them. The only features the Indians had in common were black hair, brown eyes, and some shade of brown skin. The Winnebagos were noted for their large heads; the Utes for their squat, powerful frames; the Crows for their height” (Hagen, 1993).
Native American History and Background
As noted earlier, Native American history stretches back many centuries and continues to present day. There are many tribes and climates where the indigenous populations of the Americas left their mark in the form of artifacts, rock paintings, traditions and records made by white explorers. Native American history begins before the white man arrived on American soil and includes the cultures of tribes who lived as far north as what is now Canada to Indians living in modern day Peru, Guatemala and Mexico. Each tribe has its own distinct history and culture.
Native American history covers tribes who built cities and others who lived simple lives hunting and fishing. Some tribes had real sophisticated forms of trade while others remained hunters and gathers and lived as nomads (Hagan, 1993,; Gallegos, 2002). Native American history often included battles between tribes. Some tribes had sophisticated political systems which included governing many small nations and forming legislative bodies (Hagan, 1993).
When European explorers settled the continent, many tribes who once fought against each other were joined by a common enemy. However, some tribes were so at odds that they joined settlers in a fight against other colonists just to fight the tribe allied with the other side. Native American History is rich with such rivalries and alliances such as that during the French and Indian War when tribes chose to side with the British or French based on which tribe was on the opposite side (Hagan, 1993).
Native American History also includes many unhappy episodes beginning with the European settlers. Many Native Americans died because they had no immunity to the small pox, measles and other communicable diseases carried by the newcomers (Hagan, 1998; Smithsonian, 2007). Another, more tragic episode in the life of American Indians occurred when their homelands were taken away and they were forced to march westward (Hagan, 1993; Hatfield, 2007).
Native American Government was quite intricate, since every tribe had a different legal system. Many small tribes were simply ruled by a chief. Some tribal government structures also included a council while others had no council. In the past, Native American law varied from tribe to tribe and those who had the most sophisticated forms of government tended to dominate other tribes. For instance, the Iroquois were able to incorporate tribes they conquered into their complex governmental system(Hagen, 1993). They were unusual in the fact that they brought in new tribes rather than simply conquering them (Hagen, 1993). This enlarged the Iroquois nation as well as increased their power. As a result the Iroquois were one of the most populous and influential tribes in North America.
In the late 1700s the U.S. Government in order to provide available land for the colonists adopted the policy of forcing Indians to live on reservations (Hagan, 1993). Some tribes were given ownership of the land by treaties. “In 1999 there were 278 reservations, in 32 states, formally recognized by the federal government”…. Reservations are tracts of land expressly set aside or reserved for Indian nations by some federal action, usually with the concurrence of the tribe(s)” (Wilkins & Lomawaima, 2001; Grounds et al, 2003). These reserved lands are held in Federal trusteeship (Wilkins & Lomawaima, 2001). The largest reservation is that of the Navajo in Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico, with approximately 25,000 square miles, while in California, there are some reservations of only a square mile or two. The Pueblo Indians live on reservations given under Spanish grants. And there are some small state reservations such as Maine, New York, Virginia and South Carolina.
In 1887, Congress passed the Allotment Act, which gave the President the power to divide any Indian Reservation into individual allotments, on which a twenty five year trust period was to be imposed, and surplus lands not allotted were authorized to be sold to non-Indians (Wilkins and Lomawaima, 2001). This Act has been considered unjust to the Indians since it shrunk Indian lands from 155,000,000 acres to about 47,000,000 acres. One major problem with the Act is that Indians could themselves sell their allotments.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs provides public services to the Indians. It combines and administers the functions performed by all other federal agencies, by state governments, by counties, by municipalities and even by private organizations.
The Federal Government first became interested in Indian welfare through the regulation of trade. Benjamin Franklin once reported to the Albany Congress in 1754 that “Many quarrels and wars have arisen between the Colonies and the Indian nations through the bad conduct of traders who cheated the Indians after making them drunk” (Hagan, 1993). Thus, in 1775, the Continental Congress took over Indian affairs, and when the Federal Constitution was adopted, the states gave to the national government the duty of regulating commerce not only with foreign nations, and among the states, but also with the Indian tribes. It implied that the utmost good faith shall always be observed toward the Indians and that their land and property shall never be taken from them. In 1779 when the War Department was established, all Indian affairs were placed under its jurisdiction. In 1824 the Bureau of Indian Affairs was created within the War Department, but in 1849, after much criticism in the West about the way the military branch administered Indian affairs, the Bureau was transferred to the newly created Department of Interior, where it remains today (Hagan, 1993).
In the early days, the Bureau’s function was one of guardianship, and in a sense it treated Indians as if they were wards of the government. The original purpose of the Bureau was to civilize the Indian and prepare him for full citizenship, and to insure that the Government fulfilled its promises to the various Indian tribes in more than 400 treaties. With passing years, the objects and goals of the Bureau’s administration have changed.
By 1924 all Indians had become citizens of the U.S. and could vote. However, the Bureau still has certain trustee obligations for Indian property, and because it will take time to adjust the many-sided relationship between Indians and the Federal Government, the Bureau continues to provide services to Indians.
A breakdown of the Bureau of Indian Affairs is as follows: The Commissioner of Indian Affairs is appointed by the President of the United States. The Bureau assigns an agency for one or more reservations. Agencies are supervised by area offices, which in turn are supervised by the Central Office. The Central Office acts as a go-between Congress and the Secretary of the Interior and in some instances the President.
Presently, since many Indians are leaving the reservations and going to cities to work, the Bureau operates relocations center in several large cities such as Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and Oakland. It is planning many other such centers and already thousands of Indians have been placed in jobs. The Bureau also operates more than 350 Indian schools with an enrollment of more than 45,000 Indian children.
More than half the Bureau’s regular employees have Indian blood. To provide its services to the Indians, the Bureau has become a huge business enterprise. It handles large estates. It is in the oil industry. It deals with bonuses and royalties, and the disposition of large timber areas. It conducts a large cattle business and is even in the fishing industry. It arranges leases of tribal lands and carries on a big banking business.
In 1934, the U.S. Congress passed the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA or Wheeler-Howard Act). This Act authorized Indian tribes to establish and conduct their own governments and form business corporations (Hagan, 1993; Wilkins & Lomawaima). The IRA abolished the old Allotment Act, authorized the Secretary of the Interior to return to the tribes all surplus lands, and prohibited the sale of Indian lands to non-Indians. Under the Act, more lands were to be purchased for Indian tribes.
The IRA restored to the Indian the right to practice his own religion and tribal ceremonies. All restrictions on the use of tribal language were abolished. Further, the Act established an Arts and Craft Board to encourage the production of Indian art and handicraft and to promote the sale of these crafts. Contrary to requirements of the old Indian schools where children were forced to speak English, under the IRA, Indian teachers speaking native languages were employed in grade schools. A scholarship fund was established from which Indians could borrow for college or special training, and a revolving loan fund was set up for incorporated tribal enterprises.
After passage of IRA, tribes were given two years to decide whether to go on as they had before, or to accept the conditions of the Act. In 1938, 195 out of the 258 eligible tribes accepted. Others who felt that their reservations and treaty rights might be affected did not accept the Act in full, although many have taken advantage of certain provisions of the Act, such as the revolving loan fund.
Today’s Native American government is based on representative democracy. For example, the government in the Navajo communities is formed by five agencies, with 110 chapters with 88 delegates elected every four years. The agencies have judicial, executive and legislative branches just like the national government. The agencies have plenary power, which means they can submit proposals for new laws to the Secretary of the Interior. Most tribes also have their own tribal codes and laws that they follow. Further, today, Native American governments are primarily involved with negotiations between tribal representatives and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Native American Religion
"Our land, our religion, and our life are one" (voiced by a Hopi man in 1951) (Martin, 1999). The primary focus of Native American religion is nature. The landscape, animals, plants and other environmental elements play a major role in the religion of American Indians. "Well before contact with whites, Native Americans fused spirituality with place and practice to imbue everyday, local realities with the most profound significance" (Martin, 1999). Their traditions include a number of practices and ceremonies. "For those Native Americans who follow traditions, these traditions infuse every moment of everyday" (Brown, 2001). These ceremonies may be in honor of a number of events, depending on the tribal practices. "Their spirituality can affect how they cook, eat, dance, paint, tell stories, mold pottery, dye clothes, decorate their bodies, design their homes, organize their villages, court lovers, marry, bury, dress, speak, make love, cut their hair, etc" (Martin, 1999). Many of the legends passed down were an attempt to explain events that occurred in nature. The Native American practice of taking certain hallucinogens was commonly used to gain greater insight or communicate with the gods or spirits (Deloria, Jr., 2006). Ceremonies may include feast, music, dances and other performances.
Symbolism, especially with animals, is often a common part of Native American religion. Animals are used to represent certain ideas, characteristics, and spirits. Some Native American tribes used animals to tell the story of creation or to deal with the natural powers of nature. "Native American cultures are based on different perceptions and experiences with reality. Symbols, meanings, and omens – the communications with the Owl, Hawk, Spider, or Snake, for example – might mean different things to different people from different cultures or beliefs, or from different systems of thinking, from differences in imagination, or from different experiences and degrees of spiritual development" (Lake-Thom, 1997). "Despite the importance of religious figures and certain features of the natural world, for the Native American, the divine was literally everywhere. No separation was recognized between what ‘natural’ and ‘supernatural.’ Nature and spirit were one. Similarly, myth –an ‘animistic fabric of symbolic exchanges between people and nature’ – permeated every aspect of Native American culture: Indians constructed nature as a society of equal face to face subjects. Animals, plants, and rocks were alive and could be communicated with directly" (Gundersen, 1998)
In the place of preachers and clergymen Native Americans have a shaman, medicine man or holy man. These men were said to communicate with the gods. They were wise and experienced and they enjoyed a higher level of status among American Indians. Additionally, they played important roles in decision, ceremonies and traditions.
Native American religion is very hard to define since in order to fully understand its beliefs, practices and traditions one needs to grow up with it. It is not the same as converting to Christianity or Judaism, its meanings, purposes and experiences go much deeper. "Native American cultures demonstrate how all components of a culture can be interconnected, how the presence of the sacred can permeate all lifeways to such a degree that what we call religion is here integrated into the totality of life and into all of life’s activities. Religion here is so pervasive in life that there is probably no Native American language in which there is a term that could be translated as ‘religion’ in the way we understand it" (Brown, 2001).).
Also, as noted in the book, The World We Used to Live In, Vine Deloria, Jr. offers many instances showing that Native American spiritual practices include celebrations of gratitude for universal spirits such as the sun, birds, stones, crops, the buffalo and other animals. Ceremony plays a vital and essential role in Native American religions.
Methodology
The data utilized in this study is the 2006 General Social Survey (Davis and Smith, 2006). Tabular analysis, Cramer’s V, chi-square statistics and significance levels are reported. "The chi-square test of independence is a test that allows us to determine whether or not two variables are associated in some way" (Caldwell, 2004). For example, is a respondent’s political affiliation associated with his/her feelings toward abortion? On the other hand, Cramer’s V measures the strength of association or dependency between two categorical variables in the contingency table and tends to support the chi-square test (Caldwell, 2004).
The General Social Service Survey had 4,510 respondents for the year 2006, of which Indians =160, Latinos = 573, Blacks = 593, Anglos = 3062 and other = 122.
Demographic Characteristics of Respondents
Tables 1-1 through 1-6 show the distribution of characteristics of the respondents regarding age, gender, education, income, and area of residence. The data concerning the age of respondents is shown in shown in Table 1-1 and indicates that Anglos and Blacks tend to be older than Latinos and Indians. For example, 21.4% of Anglo respondents and 22.7% of Black respondents fall into the age category of 46-55 compared with 15.8% of Latino and 18.8% of Indians of the same age group. Because the chi-square for this table is 178.70 and the p-value is less than or equal to .0005, this shows that one can reject the null hypothesis which states that age and ethnicity are independent and shows a significant relationship between the two. Table 1-2 concerning sex shows more women than men with men representing 44.3% of the respondents and women representing 55.7% of the survey respondents. With respect to education, Table 1-3 shows that 63.7 % of Indians completed a maximum of a high school degree compared to 54.8% for Blacks, 51.5% for Anglos, and 40.7% for Latinos. However, only 6.3% of Indians completed a B.A. Degree comparable to 19.6% of Anglos, 11.5% for Blacks and 8.7% for Latinos. Extrapolating from the table, one can see that about 90% of the Anglos, 80% of the Blacks, 77% of the American Indians, and 60% of the Latinos have completed a high school or higher level degree. There is sufficient evidence to reject the null hypothesis -level of education is related to ethnic group.
Regarding personal income, responses in Table 1-4 ask the question "in what category did your total family income, from all sources, fall in 2005". This table measures total family income for each ethnic group. As noted 45.1 % of Anglo’s had an income of 50K to 110K plus, while in the same category Blacks, Latinos and Indians had 25% or less. In all other income categories the ethnic groups are about the same. In terms of areas of residence, Table 1-5 shows that a total of 42.4% of the respondents reside in small city areas. The breakdown by ethnic group is as follows: 47.3% of Indians, 45.5% of Anglos, 32.7% of Latinos, and 31.8% of Blacks. Looking more closely, one notes that 69.6% of the Indians live in small city or rural areas. The significant chi-square of 173.16 indicates there is a relationship between ethnicity and where a person lives.
Political Affiliations, Interest and Participation
Concerning party identification, shown in Table 2- 1, the majority of Blacks, 75.8% indicate a preference for the Democratic Party, while 42.1% of Anglos identify with the Republican Party. A majority of Indians and Latinos also show a preference for the Democratic Party, although at a lesser percentage than Blacks. Also, a large percentage, 40.9%, of Latinos identified themselves as Independent, giving them the advantage of being a group that the major parties must bargain with during highly contested elections. Regarding the question of who voted in 2004 by ethnic, Table 2-2 shows that 70.8 % of Anglo, 75.8 Black, 50 % of Latinos and 64.3% of Indians voted in 2004. Also, Table 2-3, concerning Presidential Vote in 2004 by ethnic group shows that 57.4 % of Anglos and 51.1 % of Indians voted for Bush while 91.6 % of Blacks and 58.3 % of Latinos voted for Kerry. Again, the p-values of .0005 for Tables 2-1, Table 2-2, and Table 2-3 indicates significant relationships exist. To test interest in politics, Table 2-4 ask the question "How interested would you say you personally are in politics?" and shows that 75.0 % of Indians, 73.0 % of Anglos, and 71.8 % of Blacks and 55.6 % of Latinos are interested. Again the p-value of .0005 for this Table shows some level of significance. On the other hand Table 2-5 test respondent’s feelings regarding political efficacy. The survey included the question, "The average citizen has considerable influence on politics: agree, neither, or disagree?" In response 63.5% of Indians disagree, and 52% of Anglos disagree, and 48.7 of Blacks and 38.6 of Latinos also disagree. The next table, 2-6 reports respondents’ confidence in their own knowledge about politics and ask the question, "Do you agree, neither, or disagree with the statement "I think most people are better informed about politics and government than I am". In summary, most (48.6%) Anglos disagree, however, 53.9 % of Latinos, 49.1% of Indians and 41.7% of Blacks agree. To sum up the previous analyses, the chi-square and Cramer’s V-values for Table 2-4 show there is sufficient evidence to suggest that there is a relationship between a person’s ethnicity and their personal interest in politics. Also, the chi-square and Cramer’s v-values for Table 2-5 suggest that the average citizen thinks they do have considerable influence on politics. While, Table 2-6 suggest there is sufficient evidence to show that Anglos strongly disagree with the statement that most people are better informed about politics and government than I am but to the contrary, Latinos, Indians and Blacks agree with the statement. Thus, it safe for one conclude that Latinos, Indians and Blacks to feel that others know more about politics than they do.
Salient Political Issues
Table 3-1 through Table 3-11 deal with those salient political issues and are included to test the religious influence on respondent’s answers. Tables 3-1 ask the question should abortion be legal if a woman wants it for any reason, while Table 3-5 ask the question should abortion be legal for a woman who is pregnant and does not want to marry the man. For these two tables, all categories of respondents answered no and the chi-square value and v-values for both tables show there is sufficient evidence to suggest that a legal abortion should not be available for just any reason. On the other hand in Table 3-2, respondents overwhelmingly answered that legal abortions should be available
in circumstances where a woman need it to protect her health, but the p-value of .057 suggest that respondent’s ethnic group and the availability of legal abortion to protect a woman’s health are not related. They are independent of each other. In Tables 3-3 and 3-4 respondents of all ethnic group strongly agree that legal abortions should be available for a woman when there is a strong chance of serious defect in the baby or when a woman becomes pregnant due to rape. Both the p-value and the Cramer’s V for these tables strongly suggest that there is a relationship between these variables. Table 3-6 deals with the right of homosexual couples to marry. Respondents across all ethnic groups strongly disagreed. Also Table 3-7 ask the question do you approve or disapprove the reading of the Supreme Court Ruling that no state of local government may require the reading of the Lord’s Prayer or Bible verses in public schools. Again respondents across all ethnic groups disapproved of the Court’s decision. For these two tables the p-value and Cramer’s V strongly suggest that there is a relationship between ethnic groups and their disapproval of homosexual marriages and the Court’s decision against school prayer.
In Table 3-8 concerning whether immigration should be increased, remain the same or reduced, Indian, Anglo and Black respondents said it should be reduced, while the majority of Latinos said the number of immigrants should remain the same. Tables 3-9 and 3-10 are about whether atheist should be allowed to speak against churches or teach at the university. These tables test the tolerance of religious people toward other who are opposed to them. In both instances the majority of respondents agreed that atheist should be allowed to both speak against the church and teach in the university.
Table asks if "government spending on improving and protecting the environment is: too little, right, too much?" Across the board, the majority percentage of all ethnic groups indicate that too little is spent on improving and protecting the environment. 62% of Latinos, 66.7 % of Indians, 68.7 % Anglos and 74 % of Blacks all suggest that the amount of government spending on the environment is too little. Since the chi-square is 9.87, the p-value = .130, and V = .059 suggest that there is no relationship between ethnicity and government spending on improving and protecting the environment.
Religious Preferences and Beliefs
Table 4-1 asks the question ·what is your religious preference?·. This table shows that 78.4% of Blacks and 69.2 % of Indians are Protestant compared to 52.9 % Anglos and 19.8% of Latinos who also indicated that they were protestant. The table also shows that 67% of Latinos and 22% of Anglos are Catholic compared to 9.4% Indians and 5.4% of Blacks who indicated a preference for Catholic. The chi-square for this table is 776.89 and is significant, while the p-value is = .0005, and the Cramer·s v-value is .244, both of which are also significant. Table 4-2 ask the question ·in what religion were you raised?· and shows that 78.5% of Indians and 80.8% of Blacks were raised as Protestant. This indicates a correlation with the findings of Table 4-1 where both Indians and Blacks showed a religious preference for the religion they were raised in. Since the p-value is = .0005, the chi-square is 569.72 and the V = 0.256, there is sufficient evidence to suggest there is a relationship between ethnicity and the religion the respondent was raised in. Table 4-3 asks the question ·what was the fundamentalism/liberalism of the religion respondent was raised in?· and shows that 65.6% of Blacks and 61.5% Indians were raised in fundamentalist religions where as the percentages for Anglos and Latinos are 28.8 and 9.6, respectively. Since the chi-square is 507.3, the p-value is = .0005 and V = 0.299 indicates a significant correlation between ethnicity and a person being raised in a fundamentalist religion. It is also noted that 83.8% of Latinos and 41.5% of Anglos indicated being raised as neither fundamentalist nor liberal but moderate. Table 4-4 asks for the "fundamentalism/liberalism of respondent’s religion. This table shows that 63.9 % of Blacks and 48.7% of Indians indicated they are fundamentalist while 25.9% Anglos and 13.2 % of indicated they were fundamentalist. The chi-square is 678.78, p-value is = .0005, and V = 0.283 and shows a relationship between ethnicity and religious fundamentalism.
Table 4-5 asks the question "has there ever been a turning point in your life when you made a new and personal commitment to religion (Born Again)?" In this table, 62.1% of Blacks and 53.3% of Indians indicate yes, while 42% of Anglos and 38.1% Latinos also say yes. Because the chi-square is 62.93, p-value is = .0005, and V = 0.148 there is sufficient evidence to suggest that there was a turning in the lives of Blacks and Indians that lead to a personal commitment to religion. Table 4-6 asks the question "has there ever been a turning point in your life when you became less committed to religion?" Across the board respondents of all ethnic groups strongly indicated no. Further more a chi-square of 8.55, p-value = .036 and V = .078 all indicate there is not sufficient evidence to suggest that there was a time in a large percentage of respondents lives when they became less committed to religion. Table 4-7 asks the question "how much confidence do you have in organized religion?" Again, across the board, the higher percentages of each ethnic group indicated only some confidence in organized religion as opposed to a great deal of confidence or hardly any confidence. The chi-square is 12.27, p = .056, and V =.057 and indicates there is sufficient evidence to suggest that only some respondents have confidence in organized religion. Table 4-8 asks "did you ever have a religious or spiritual experience that changed you life?" 56.2% of Blacks and 53.3 % of Indians indicated yes while 39.6 % of Anglo and 38.2% of Latinos indicated no. Since the chi-square is 44.61, the p-value is = .0005, and the V = .124 suggest that Blacks and Indians have had a religious or spiritual experience that changed their lives whereas Anglos and Latinos have not. Table 4-9 asks "to what extent do you consider yourself a spiritual person?" According to this table 42.9% of Blacks and 39.6% of Indians indicate that they are very spiritual. Also, 46.8% of Latinos, 40.8% of Anglos, 39.8% of Blacks and 32.1 % of Indians indicated that they are moderately spiritual. The chi-square is 78.20, p-value is = .0005 and V = .095 and indicates that Blacks and Indians are both very spiritual and moderately spiritual, whereas most Latinos and Anglos are moderately spiritual.
Table 4-10 asks the question "do you believe there is a life after death (past life)?" The majority of respondents for all ethnic groups indicated yes. However, while 74.7% of Blacks, 74.4 % of Anglo, and 61.5 % of Latinos all responded yes, a sizeable 82.2 % of Indians responded yes. Since the chi-square is 33.22, p-value is = .0005 and V = .076 there is sufficient evidence to suggest that across the board the majority of respondents for all ethnic groups do believe there is life after death. However, Indians overwhelmingly responded yes.
Table 4-11 asks "about how often do you pray: daily, weekly, less than weekly, or never?" Respondents, across all ethnic groups, indicated they pray daily with Blacks and Indians indicating that they pray daily at a greater percentage than Latinos and Anglos.
Conclusions
The primary purpose of this study was to analyze data from the General Social Survey for the year 2006 to determine where Indians stand on issues of religion and politics as compared to Anglos, African Americans and Latinos. Of course, although this is only a preliminary study, we are happy to have been able to examine the four groups and compare them. We have done this in the areas of demography, political affiliation, interest and participation, political issues, and religious preference and beliefs. The discussion summarizes the similarities and differences among the ethnic groups. This paper demonstrates once again that not only is Ethnicity an important variable to consider in the analysis of political and religious data, but whether one is American Indian or not is also a characteristic which is relevant to contemporary social and political analysis.
In analyzing selected variables we found little or no differences among the ethnic groups in the following characteristics:
- Demographic characteristics Table 1-2 on gender.
- Political affiliations, interest and participation, Table 2-1 on political vote, Table 2-4 on personal political interest, Table 2-6 on informed about politics and government.
- Salient political issues, Table 3-1 through Table 3-5 regarding abortion; Table 3-7 on court school prayer decision; Tables 3-9 and 3-10 on atheist; and Table 3-11 on environmental spending.
- Religious preferences and beliefs, Table 4-6 on less religious commitment and Table 4-7 on confidence in organized religion.
Regarding the following variables and data, we found significant differences between Indians and one or more ethnic groups:
Demographic characteristics:
- Table 1-1 Indians along with Latinos are younger while Anglos and Blacks are older.
- Table 1-3 level of education varies by ethnic group.
- Table 1-4 Anglos have significantly higher income that all other groups
- Table 1-5 Similar to Anglos a greater number of Indians live in small city areas than do Blacks and Latinos.
Political Affiliations, Interest and Participation:
- Table 2-2, Like Latinos, Indians voted at a significantly lesser percentage than did Blacks and Anglos.
- Table 2-3, Like Anglos, Indians voted for Bush in the 2004 Election
- Table 2-5, Significant percentage of Indians disagrees on citizen’s political efficacy.
Salient Political Issues:
- Table 3-6, Like Blacks, Indians strongly disagree that homosexuals should have the right to marry.
- Table 3-8, Indians believe strongly that the number of immigrants should be reduced.
Religious Preferences and Beliefs:
- Table 4-1, Like Blacks, Indians strongly prefer Protestant Religions.
- Table 4-2, Like Blacks, a significant percentage of Indians was raised in Protestant Religions.
- Table 4-3, Like Blacks, a significant percentage of Indians was raised in fundamentalist religions.
- Table 4-4, Unlike Blacks, a significant number of Indians no longer belong to fundamentalist religions.
- Table 4-5, Similar to Blacks a significant percentage of Indians report a turning point in life that lead to personal commitment to religion.
- Table 4-8, Similar to Blacks a significant percentage of Indians report having had a religious experience that changed their life.
- Table 4-9, Like Blacks a substantial percentage of Indians consider themselves to be both very spiritual and moderately spiritual.
- Table 4-10, More than other ethnic groups, Indians overwhelmingly report a belief in life after death.
- Table 4-11, Like Blacks, Indians overwhelmingly report praying on a daily basis.
Table 1-1: Age by Ethnic Group (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| 18-25 |
8.4 |
11.8 |
13.3 |
10.6 |
9.6 |
| 26-35 |
15.6 |
21.7 |
28.4 |
18.8 |
18.2 |
| 36-45 |
19.5 |
22.3 |
28.2 |
20.6 |
21.1 |
| 46-55 |
21.4 |
22.7 |
15.8 |
18.8 |
20.7 |
| 56-65 |
16.1 |
10.7 |
7.7 |
13.8 |
14.2 |
| Over 65 |
19.0 |
10.8 |
6.5 |
17.5 |
16.2 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=3049) |
(N=591) |
(N=570) |
(N=160) |
(N=4370) |
Chi-Square: 178.70,df = 15, p = .0005, V = 0.117
Table 1-2: Sex by Ethnic Group (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| MALE |
45.6 |
62.9 |
55.1 |
56.3 |
55.7 |
| FEMALE |
54.4 |
62.9 |
55.1 |
56.3 |
55.7 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=3062) |
(N=593) |
(N=573) |
(N=1160) |
(N=4388) |
Chi-Square: 14.62,df = 3, p = .0002, V=0.058.
Table 1-3 : Degree by Ethnic Group (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| NOT H.S. |
9.6 |
19.4 |
40.7 |
23.1 |
15.5 |
| HIGH SCHOOL |
51.5 |
45.8 |
40.7 |
63.7 |
51.0 |
| Jr. COLLEGE |
8.8 |
9.3 |
6.6 |
3.8 |
8.4 |
| B.A. |
19.6 |
11.5 |
8.7 |
6.3 |
16.6 |
| GRAD DEGREE |
10.5 |
5.1 |
3.3 |
3.1 |
8.6 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=3059) |
(N=593) |
(N=573) |
(N=160) |
(N=4385) |
Chi-Square: 444.62, df = 12, p = .0005, V = 0.184.
Table 1-4: Respondent’s Income by Ethnic Group (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| $1K-9999 |
6.6 |
15.8 |
12.3 |
12.0 |
8.8 |
| $10K-24.9K |
19.2 |
29.4 |
32.4 |
30.8 |
22.7 |
| $25K-49.9K |
29.2 |
30.0 |
32.2 |
35.3 |
29.9 |
| $50K-110K |
45.1 |
24.8 |
23.1 |
21.8 |
38.6 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=2394) |
(N=463) |
(N=454) |
(N=133) |
(N=3444) |
Chi-Square: 180.67, df = 9, p = .0005, V = .132.
Table 1-5: Respondent’s Area of Residence by Ethnic Group (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| CITY |
10.4 |
26.9 |
26.1 |
20.5 |
15.3 |
| SUBURB |
25.0 |
27.8 |
35.3 |
9.8 |
25.7 |
| SMALL CITY |
45.5 |
31.8 |
32.7 |
47.3 |
42.4 |
| RURAL |
19.1 |
13.6 |
5.9 |
22.3 |
16.6 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=1783) |
(N=324) |
(N=306) |
(N=112) |
(N=2525) |
Chi-Square: 173.16,df = 12, p = .0005, V =
Table 2-1: Political Party by Ethnic Group (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| DEMOCRAT |
38.5 |
75.8 |
41.7 |
42.5 |
44.1 |
| INDEPENDENT |
19.4 |
17.7 |
40.9 |
29.4 |
22.4 |
| REPUBLICAN |
42.1 |
6.5 |
17.4 |
28.1 |
33.5 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=2990) |
(N=586) |
(N=569) |
(N=153) |
(N=4298) |
Chi-Square: 502.38, df = 6, p = .0005, V = .242
Table 2-2: Vote in 2004 by Ethnic Group (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| VOTED |
70.8 |
73.0 |
50.0 |
64.3 |
74.1 |
| DID NOT VOTE |
22.0 |
27.0 |
50.0 |
35.7 |
25.9 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=2942) |
(N=552) |
(N=386) |
(N=92) |
(N=4034) |
Chi-Square: 148.38,df = 3, p= .0005, V = 0.192.
Table 2-3: Presidential 2004 Vote by Ethnic Group (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| KERRY |
40.8 |
91.6 |
58.3 |
46.8 |
48.8 |
| BUSH |
57.4 |
8.2 |
39.0 |
51.1 |
49.6 |
| NADER |
1.7 |
0.3 |
2.7 |
2.1 |
1.6 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=2223) |
(N=379) |
(N=187) |
(N=94) |
(N=2883) |
Chi-Square: 343.15, df = 6, p= .0005, V = 0.244.
Table 2-4: Personal Political Interest by Ethnic Group (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| INTERESTED |
73.0 |
71.8 |
55.6 |
75.0 |
70.5 |
| NOT INTERESTED |
27.0 |
28.2 |
44.4 |
25.0 |
29.5 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=1023) |
(N=202) |
(N=207) |
(N=52) |
(N=1484) |
Chi-Square: 26.1, df = 3, p = .0005, V=0.132.
Table 2-5: Citizen Political Efficacy by Ethnic Group (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| AGREE |
33.3 |
38.2 |
34.7 |
23.1 |
33.8 |
| NEITHER |
14.7 |
13.1 |
26.7 |
13.5 |
16.1 |
| DISAGREE |
52.0 |
48.7 |
38.6 |
63.5 |
50.1 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=1018) |
(N=199) |
(N=202) |
(N=52) |
(N=1471) |
Chi-Square: 27.69,df = 6, p = .0005, V= 0.097.
Table 2-6: Community Political Efficacies by Ethnic Group (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| AGREE |
33.8 |
41.7 |
53.9 |
49.1 |
38.2 |
| NEITHER |
17.7 |
22.6 |
20.1 |
13.2 |
18.8 |
| DISAGREE |
48.6 |
35.7 |
26.0 |
37.7 |
43.3 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=1019) |
(N=199) |
(N=204) |
(N=53) |
(N=1475) |
Chi-Square: 47.76, df = 6, p = .0005, V = 0.127
Table 3-1: “Should Legal Abortion be Available by Ethnic Group?” (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| YES |
43.2 |
36.3 |
28.1 |
39.2 |
40.2 |
| NO |
56.8 |
63.7 |
71.9 |
60.8 |
59.8 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=1327) |
(N=245) |
(N=235) |
(N=74) |
(N=1881) |
Chi-Square: 20.80, df = 3, p = .0005, V = 0.105.
Table 3-2: “Should Legal Abortion be Available to Protect Health of Woman?” (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| YES |
88.9 |
84.2 |
84.1 |
87.7 |
87.7 |
| NO |
11.1 |
15.8 |
15.8 |
12.3 |
12.3 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=1321) |
(N=240) |
(N=232) |
(N=73) |
(N=1866) |
Chi-Square: 7.532, df = 3, p = .057, V = .064.
Table 3-3: “Should Legal Abortion be Available for Woman Due to Serious Defect in Baby?” (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| YES |
76.5 |
63.1 |
69.9 |
75.3 |
73.9 |
| NO |
23.5 |
36.9 |
30.1 |
24.7 |
26.1 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=1309) |
(N=241) |
(N=236) |
(N=73) |
(N=1859) |
Chi-Square: 21.14, df = 3, p = .0005, V = .107
Table 3-4: “Should Legal Abortion for Woman Pregnant as a Result of Rape?” (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| YES |
80.5 |
70.0 |
64.3 |
82.2 |
77.2 |
| NO |
19.5 |
30.0 |
35.7 |
17.8 |
22.8 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=1309) |
(N=237) |
(N=235) |
(N=73) |
(N=1854) |
Chi-Square: 38.48, df = 3, p = .0005, V = 0.144.
Table 3-5: “Should Legal Abortion for Woman Not Wanting to Marry?” (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| YES |
43.6 |
32.8 |
27.8 |
37.0 |
39.9 |
| NO |
56.4 |
67.2 |
72.2 |
63.0 |
60.1 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=1324) |
(N=247) |
(N=234) |
(N=73) |
(N=1878) |
Chi-Square: 27.27, df = 3, p = .0005, V = .120.
Table 3-6: Homosexual Couples Should Have Right to Marry(percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| AGREE |
38.2 |
20.4 |
32.1 |
34.2 |
35.0 |
| NEITHER |
12.2 |
13.2 |
19.3 |
5.5 |
13.0 |
| DISAGREE |
49.6 |
66.4 |
48.6 |
60.3 |
52.0 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=1356) |
(N=250) |
(N=243) |
(N=73) |
(N=1922) |
Chi-Square: 44.14, df = 6, p = .0005.
Table 3-7: Support Court’s Restriction of School Prayer by Ethnic Group (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| APPROVE |
45.7 |
23.5 |
42.2 |
31.9 |
41.8 |
| DISAPPROVE |
54.3 |
76.5 |
57.8 |
68.1 |
58.2 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=1316) |
(N=247) |
(N=204) |
(N=69) |
(N=1836) |
Chi-Square: 44.97, df = 3, p = .0005, V = 0.157.
Table 3-8: Should the Number of Immigrants be Increased/Decreased(percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| INCREASED |
9.5 |
13.2 |
29.5 |
4.3 |
12.3 |
| SAME |
31.8 |
37.6 |
48.7 |
27.5 |
34.5 |
| REDUCED |
58.7 |
49.2 |
21.8 |
68.1 |
53.2 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=1335) |
(N=250) |
(N=234) |
(N=69) |
(N=1888) |
Chi-Square: 141.35, df = 6, p = .0005, V = 0.193.
Table 3-9: Should Atheist Be Allowed to Speak Against Churches (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| ALLOWED |
82.8 |
68.5 |
65.4 |
75.7 |
78.4 |
| NOT ALLOWED |
17.2 |
31.5 |
34.6 |
24.3 |
21.6 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=1363) |
(N=251) |
(N=246) |
(N=74) |
(N=1934) |
Chi-Square: 54.51, df = 3, p = .0005, V = .168.
Table 3-10: Should Atheists Be Allowed to Teach at University (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| ALLOWED |
65.2 |
51.8 |
50.6 |
50.0 |
61.0 |
| NOT ALLOWED |
32.2 |
46.6 |
45.7 |
48.6 |
36.4 |
| DON'T KNOW |
2.6 |
1.6 |
3.6 |
1.4 |
2.5 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=1366) |
(N=253) |
(N=247) |
(N=74) |
(N=1940) |
Chi-Square: 38.72,df = 6, p = .0005, V = .100.
Table 3-11: Support for Spending on Improving and Protecting the Environment (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| TOO LITTLE |
68.7 |
74.0 |
62.0 |
66.7 |
68.6 |
| RIGHT |
25.4 |
18.4 |
32.3 |
25.0 |
25.2 |
| TOO MUCH |
5.9 |
7.7 |
5.7 |
8.3 |
6.2 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=999) |
(N=196) |
(N=158) |
(N=48) |
(N=1401) |
Chi-Square: 9.87, df = 6, p = 0.130, V = .059.
Table 4-1: Religious Preference by Ethnic Group (preference)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| PROTESTANT |
52.9 |
78.4 |
19.8 |
69.2 |
52.6 |
| CATHOLIC |
22.0 |
5.4 |
67.0 |
9.4 |
25.2 |
| JEWISH |
2.4 |
0.2 |
0 |
0 |
1.7 |
| NONE |
18.2 |
11.4 |
10.4 |
17.0 |
16.2 |
| OTHER |
4.6 |
4.6 |
2.8 |
4.4 |
4.3 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=3047) |
(N=589) |
(N=570) |
(N=159) |
(N=4365) |
Chi-Square: 776.89,df = 12, p = .0005, V = 0.244.
Table 4-2: Religion Respondent was Raised in by Ethnic Group (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| PROTESTANT |
56.8 |
80.8 |
13.7 |
78.5 |
55.4 |
| CATHOLIC |
29.8 |
7.9 |
80.6 |
10.3 |
32.5 |
| JEWISH |
2.6 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.9 |
1.9 |
| NONE |
8.8 |
6.4 |
4.9 |
8.4 |
8.0 |
| OTHER |
2.0 |
4.9 |
0.8 |
1.9 |
2.2 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=2038) |
(N=391) |
(N=366) |
(N=107) |
(N=2902) |
Chi-Square: 569.72, df = 12, p = .0005, V = 0.256.
Table 4-3: Fundamentalism/Liberalism of Religion Respondent was Raised In(percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| FUNDAMENTALIST |
28.8 |
65.6 |
9.6 |
61.5 |
32.4 |
| MODERATE |
41.5 |
20.5 |
83.8 |
20.2 |
43.3 |
| LIBERAL |
29.7 |
13.9 |
6.6 |
18.3 |
24.2 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=1990) |
(N=375) |
(N=364) |
(N=104) |
(N=2833) |
Chi-Square: 507.3, df = 6, p = .0005, V = 0.299.
Table 4-4: Fundamentalism/Liberalism of Respondent’s Religion (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| FUNDAMENTALIST |
25.9 |
63.9 |
13.2 |
48.7 |
30.2 |
| MODERATE |
37.4 |
20.1 |
74.3 |
26.6 |
39.6 |
| LIBERAL |
36.7 |
15.9 |
12.5 |
24.7 |
30.3 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=2965) |
(N=571) |
(N=560) |
(N=154) |
(N=4250) |
Chi-Square: 678.78, df = 6, p = .0005, V = 0.283.
Table 4-5: Turning Point in Life That Lead to Personal Commitment to Religion (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| YES |
42.0 |
62.1 |
38.1 |
53.3 |
47.7 |
| NO |
58.0 |
37.9 |
61.9 |
46.7 |
55.3 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=2030) |
(N=390) |
(N=362) |
(N=107) |
(N=2889) |
Chi-Square: 62.93, df = 3, p = .0005, V = 0.148.
Table 4-6: Time in Life When You Became Less Committed to Religion (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| YES |
41.8 |
32.4 |
33.9 |
42.3 |
39.6 |
| NO |
58.2 |
67.6 |
66.1 |
57.7 |
60.4 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=996) |
(N=182) |
(N=183) |
(N=52) |
(N=1413) |
Chi-Square: 8.55, df = 3, p = .036, V = .078.
Table 4-7: Respondent’s Confidence in Organized Religion (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| GREAT DEAL |
24.5 |
29.0 |
26.7 |
25.7 |
25.4 |
| ONLY SOME |
53.4 |
54.1 |
45.8 |
45.7 |
52.2 |
| HARDLY ANY |
22.1 |
17.0 |
27.5 |
28.6 |
22.3 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=1311) |
(N=259) |
(N=236) |
(N=70) |
(N=1876) |
Chi-Square: 12.27, df = 6, p = .056, V = .057.
Table 4-8: Ever Had a Religious/Spiritual Experience That Changed Your Life (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| YES |
39.6 |
56.2 |
38.2 |
53.3 |
42.1 |
| NO |
60.4 |
43.8 |
61.8 |
46.7 |
57.9 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=2024) |
(N=386) |
(N=364) |
(N=107) |
(N=2881) |
Chi-Square: 44.61, df = 3, p = .0005, V = .124.
Table 4-9: Extent to Which Respondent Considers Self a Spiritual Person (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| VERY SPIRITUAL |
29.2 |
49.2 |
17.7 |
39.6 |
30.0 |
| MODERATE |
40.8 |
39.8 |
46.8 |
32.1 |
41.1 |
| SLIGHTLY |
20.3 |
14.0 |
26.0 |
17.0 |
20.0 |
| NOT AT ALL |
9.7 |
3.4 |
9.4 |
11.3 |
8.9 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=2015) |
(N=387) |
(N=361) |
(N=106) |
(N=2869) |
Chi-Square: 78.20, df = 9, p = .0005, V = .095.
Table 4-10: Do You Believe in Life After Death (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| VERY SPIRITUAL |
29.2 |
49.2 |
17.7 |
39.6 |
30.0 |
| MODERATE |
40.8 |
39.8 |
46.8 |
32.1 |
41.1 |
| SLIGHTLY |
20.3 |
14.0 |
26.0 |
17.0 |
20.0 |
| NOT AT ALL |
9.7 |
3.4 |
9.4 |
11.3 |
8.9 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=2015) |
(N=387) |
(N=361) |
(N=106) |
(N=2969) |
Chi-Square: 33.22, df = 6, p = .0005, V = .076.
Table 4-11: How Often Do You Pray (percentages)
| |
ANGLO |
BLACK |
LATINO |
INDIAN |
TOTAL |
| DAILY |
56.5 |
79.2 |
61.0 |
71.7 |
60.7 |
| WEEKLY |
18.1 |
12.8 |
23.5 |
7.5 |
17.7 |
| LESS THAN WEEKLY |
12.7 |
5.1 |
8.8 |
11.3 |
11.1 |
| NEVER |
12.7 |
2.8 |
6.6 |
9.4 |
10.5 |
| TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| |
(N=2026) |
(N=390) |
(N=362) |
(N=106) |
(N=2884) |
Chi-Square:135.04, df = 15, p = .0005, V = .125.
References
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