May 2024 Newsletter

Thank you for reading our newsletter and taking an interest in the ARDA. We are excited to continue our mission of bringing you free, high-quality data on religion.

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Ahead of the Trend:



The ARDA is proud to partner with Dr. Ryan Burge and his newsletter Graphs about Religion to offer engaging and accessible Ahead of the Trend columns twice a month. Each Ahead of the Trend column and accompanying data visualizations will focus on data currently available for download from the ARDA.com. Check out the newest Ahead of the Trend columns here:


-Who Believes in the Prosperity Gospel?


-How Many People Change Religions in 18 Months?

Data Sets Added:



We are excited to announce that we added four new datasets:


-American Trends Panel Wave 114


-Clergymen in Revolutionary America (1763-1783)


-Global Attitudes Project, Spring 2015, 40 Nation Survey


-PRRI 2021 American Values Survey



Looking for even more data? Here are some helpful ARDA links:

-Categorized list of all data files

-Newest additions

Updated Metadata:



The ARDA has extensive metadata on 1000+ survey data sets and other data and features. Last month the ARDA added 79 MARC file additions and 7 MARC file corrections. You can find all of our MARC files here.

Social Media Conversations:


Last month, we posted about the 2024 Jack Shand Research Grant, the ARDA's Community Profile Builder, the 8th Biennial Conference on Religion and American Culture, and ARDA College Modules.


We also regularly post about conferences, new research, podcasts, lectures, and other opportunities of interest to our readers.


Want to join the conversations? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Feature of the Month:


Timelines


The ARDA has interactive historical timelines of U.S. religion with details on people, events, and movements.  Check it out here.

Free Online "Exploring Religion" Course Materials:


If you are an instructor returning to the classroom, check out our brand-new Online Course! It is free for instructors to adapt for their own use. Exploring Religion is a college-level online course that allows students to learn more about America's diverse religious landscape and discover the shape of religion around the world. Students will explore religion data for themselves with ARDA learning modules and watch interviews with prominent religion scholars. Suggested research projects and readings are included too.

Historical Maps:


The ARDA recently added a new map tool. Historical Maps are interactive U.S. maps of religion affiliation and other topics from 1770-1930 with state rankings. Other map tools that can be found on the ARDA are U.S. State and U.S. County maps.

Anniversaries of Historical Events:


In May, there are many anniversaries of significant events in religious history. These include Southern Baptist Convention Founded (1845)Publication of Encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891), and the Catholic Worker Movement (1933).


In addition to reading about these single events, you can delve into substantially more religious history by viewing any of our nine interactive timelines. These include specific timelines dedicated to religious groups, women, race/ethnicity, and more.

The ARDA is pleased to announce that the wave one non-sensitive data for the Global Flourishing Study (GFS) is now available for access. You may request data (global or by country) through preregistration at any time from now onwards. Visit the GFS website for more information about the study, browse resources from Gallup and the Center for Open Science, and learn about data access through the Global Flourishing Study Registry. You can also access the GFS website through The ARDA and consider using The ARDA-housed data for comparative analyses.


The GFS, a partnership among Gallup, COS, and researchers at Baylor University and Harvard University, is a $43.4 million, five-year study of 200,000 individuals in 22 countries. The GFS data will be an open-access resource for researchers, journalists, policymakers, and educators worldwide.


While several studies have tracked respondents over time in a single country, the scope and breadth of GFS is unprecedented.


The sample dataset release offers a first glimpse into data that will yield valuable insights over the next several years.


Researchers can access GFS data in three ways:

  • Preregistration: Preregister an analysis plan now to receive early access to the full dataset available in the coming months at cos.io/gfs.
  • Registered Report: Early access is also available to those that submit a Registered Report to a journal. With Registered Reports, a journal reviews the preregistration plan and agrees to publish the findings regardless of the outcome, protecting against publication bias.
  • Public release: Those wishing to receive the data without preregistration can access the non-sensitive data on the first anniversary of data release for each wave. Access to sensitive data will require institutional review board approval.


For more information on GFS’s data access, visit: cos.io/gfs and Sign up for updates.

Submitting Data to the ARDA:


Do you have a data source that you would like to store in our archive? The process is safe, easy, and convenient. We even have resources to reimburse you for your time. Get the process started by clicking on the link below. If you know of a data source that you'd like us to pursue, please let us know at support@thearda.com. Download the submission form here.

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