Seven things to consider when measuring religious identity

Measuring religious identity is complex. The author offers seven suggestions for those who wish to describe and understand religious identity using survey data: (1) Definitions and measures of religious identity shape knowledge about religious groups; (2) Variation in question wording leads to variation in responses; (3) Comparing results across surveys provides valuable perspective; (4) Incentives shape how respondents report their religious identity; (5) Religious identity may be liminal; (6) Salient identity categories are often unmeasured; and (7) Religious identity and religious practice may not seem congruent. This essay includes many examples to illustrate these measurement suggestions.