Paul Froese
- Professor of Sociology, Director of Baylor Religion Surveys
Paul Froese is the Director of the Baylor Religion Survey (BRS) and a Professor of Sociology at Baylor University. Over the past two decades, he has led the development of all seven waves of the BRS, a nationally recognized study exploring the intersection of religion, politics, and social cohesion in the United States.
Froese’s research has yielded dozens of scholarly articles and two acclaimed books, both published by Oxford University Press. America’s Four Gods: What We Say About God and What That Says About Us examines how Americans’ views of God reflect and shape political divisions. On Purpose: How We Create the Meaning of Life investigates the ways Americans find meaning in their lives, offering insight into the cultural foundations of purpose and identity.
Recent Publications
Froese, Paul; Li, Ruiqian and F. Carson Mencken. 2025. “The Sacred Gun: The Religious and Magical Elements of America’s Gun Culture.” Politics and Religion. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1755048324000312
Froese, Paul, & Bonhag, Rebecca. 2024. “The Politics of Pandemic Emotions: How Trust in the Trump Administration and Distrust of the Media Affected the Psychological Toll of COVID-19.” Social Currents. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294965241275209
Li, Ruiqian and Paul Froese. 2023. “The Duality of Christian Nationalism: Religious Traditionalism vs. Christian Statism.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.
Froese, Paul and Jeremy Uecker. 2022. “Prayer in America: A Detailed Analysis of the Various Dimensions of Prayer.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 61: 663-689.
