The Baylor Religion Surveys
Commemorating 20 Years
Beginning in 2005, a research team at Baylor University’s Department of Sociology, along with the Institute for Studies of Religion, secured funding from the John Templeton Foundation to conduct two national surveys – in conjunction with Gallup – of American religious beliefs, values and behaviors. The purpose is to provide quantitative data concerning religion, health and community in America today. The national survey is conducted every five years. In 2025, wave 7 of the BRS was completed, marking the 20th Anniversary of the project.
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More NewsNew research reveals how religious tattoos reflect a cultural – and generational – shift in how faith is expressed through permanent body art
WACO, Texas (Feb. 2, 2023) – Although time is a set duration of hours, minutes and seconds, the perception of time can vary dramatically based on the individual and especially during times of high stress and uncertainty such as disasters, recessions and most recently the COVID-19 lockdown.
Researchers at Baylor and Campbell universities found that smartphone users seeking meaning and purpose through their devices and social media could experience the opposite.
Religious believers who embrace accountability to God (or another transcendent guide for life) experience higher levels of psychological well-being, study led by Baylor researcher Matt Bradshaw.
WACO, Texas (June 9, 2021) – Patterns in American religious attitudes, behaviors and beliefs just after the 2020 presidential election and during the coronavirus pandemic are the latest focus of the Baylor Religion Survey, the most comprehensive national survey studying religion in America.
WACO, Texas (Dec. 2, 2019) – Americans travel farther on average to their worship places than they did a decade ago. But while those who belong to a congregation in their neighborhood attend more often, “worshipping local” does not make them feel closer to their neighbors or more satisfied with the neighborhood, according to a new study by researchers at Baylor University and Calvin University.
WACO, Texas (Feb. 18, 2019) — Women are more likely than men to believe the Bible is literally true, but a recent Baylor University study finds this may have more to do with how people relate to God than it does gender. Both men and women who report high levels of closeness to God take the Bible more literally – and this confidence grows stronger as they seek closeness to God through prayer and Bible study.
WACO, Texas (April 23, 2018) — Whites in multiracial congregations have more diverse friendship networks and are more comfortable with minorities — but that is more because of the impact of neighbors and friends of other races than due to congregations’ influence, a Baylor University study has found.