The Association of Religion Data Archives

Dive deeper into #AheadOfTheTrend with data visualizations from "Parenting Isn’t Easy—But Faith Might Help a Little." View the graphs and head to www.thearda.com/categories/a... for the full analysis.

Beliefs about Life after Death

What happens when we die? Some religions have very specific descriptions about the afterlife, while other religions believe what happens after death is a mystery, unexplainable until experienced. This learning module on the ARDA will explore the various beliefs Americans hold about life after death.

Parenting Isn’t Easy—But Faith Might Help a Little Ahead of the Trend Article - Title: Parenting Isn’t Easy—But Faith Might Help a Little ; Date: 2025-09-23

New #AheadOfTheTrend on the ARDA: Parenting Isn’t Easy—But Faith Might Help a Little

A survey by @pewresearch.org asked parents a series of questions beginning, “How often do you find being a parent to be…” followed by adjectives, such as: enjoyable, stressful, and tiring.

Read the analysis below.

Newest Additions Browse | Data Archive Browse Newest Data Collections in Data Archive Ordered by Addition Date

Explore the latest data sets added to the ARDA, including:

Adolescent Christian Narratives and Experiences Survey

American Trends Panel Wave 102 — Climate, COVID, and Culture of Work

PRRI Gen Z Survey, 2023

Pew National Survey of Latinos, 2011

Questionnaire on Religious Belief, 1990–1991

The ARDA's Executive Co-Director Andrew Whitehead will be leading a webinar exploring Cross-Cultural Christian Nationalism tomorrow at 3 p.m. as part of @csraac.bsky.social's Religion & webinar series. Register for this timely discussion at raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/programs/rel....

Exploring Religion and Religious Freedom in Nations

Collecting reliable data on international religion can be difficult due to limitations of translation. In this college-level learning module, users will explore sources that contain reliable data on international religion.

Download "Exploring Religion and Religious Freedom in Nations" here.

Ponder the visualizations from our latest installment of #AheadOfTheTrend: The Many Jobs of a Religious Leader

To what degree are American clergy bi-vocational? What factors determine additional roles: age, salary, role?

Make sure to read the full analysis at www.thearda.com/categories/a....

New dataset on the ARDA: @prri.org Gen Z Survey, 2023

This survey considers what sets Generation Z apart from older generations in terms of: political and cultural values, faith in communities and political institutions, and views on religion.

Discover the Data: www.thearda.com/data-archive...

Subscribe | About Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the ARDA Newsletter

Looking for the latest in religion data and resources? Subscribe to the ARDA Newsletter to receive the newest datasets, Ahead of the Trend columns, learning modules, and more delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up at www.thearda.com/about/subscr....

Family Trees | World Religion Interactive Tree Diagrams Show the Lineage and Rich History of Numerous Major World Religious Groups

One of the many beneficial religion data resources on the ARDA is our collection of family trees for major world religions. Each family tree outlines the rich history of a religion, providing interactive diagrams and descriptions of important groups, places, and events. Explore this resource today.

The Many Jobs of a Religious Leader Ahead of the Trend Article - Title: The Many Jobs of a Religious Leader ; Date: 2025-08-21

New #AheadOfTheTrend on the ARDA: The Many Jobs of a Religious Leader

The National Survey of Religious Leaders helps show how clergy entered ministry and how they manage the financial aspects of being a pastor. The findings show most ministers hold secondary employment and work >40 hours/week.

ARDA Co-Director @andrew-whitehead.bsky.social will be leading the kick-off conversation for @csraac.bsky.social's sixth season of Religion &. Register for Religion & Cross-Cultural Christian Nationalism and the full slate of episodes at raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/programs/rel....

New Data on the ARDA: U.S. Religious Landscape Study, 2023-24

This survey provides a religious portrait of the U.S. among a nationally representative sample of 36,908 adults. The ARDA has added six variables to the data set to enhance user experience.

Discover More: www.thearda.com/data-archive...

Religion and Science

Learning Module Spotlight: Religion and Science

It is often said that there is a fundamental conflict between religion and science. This learning module examines empirical data from Americans on their opinions between religion and science.

Access the Module: www.thearda.com/categories/t...

Higher Education on Trial: Religion, Politics, and Public Doubt Ahead of the Trend Article - Title: Higher Education on Trial: Religion, Politics, and Public Doubt ; Date: 2025-07-24

New #AheadOfTheTrend — Higher Education on Trial: Religion, Politics, and Public Doubt

What role does religion play in this changing perception of higher education in the United States? When breaking down data on college sentiment by religious tradition, there was some significant variation.

Families - Religious Profiles | US Religion US Religion Families Profile Page Provides Access to Interactive Reports for Dozens of Religious Families

Religious families are one way to classify religious groups based on ancestry or heritage. They are broader than denomination but more specific than religious traditions. Some common religious families include: Adventist, Lutheran, and Holiness. Visit the link below for a complete list.

New on the ARDA | ATP Wave 115 — Parents Survey

The American Trends Panel (ATP), created by @pewresearch.org, is a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults. The ATP Wave 115 was conducted among a sample of parents of a child under 18.

Discover the data: www.thearda.com/data-archive...

Learning Module Spotlight: Religion in United States Public Schools

The role of religion in public schools has long been a topic of debate. This college-level learning module explores the opinions of average Americans about religion in schools.

Access the Module: www.thearda.com/categories/t...

Faith Meets the Future: Religion and the Gene Editing Divide Ahead of the Trend Article - Title: Faith Meets the Future: Religion and the Gene Editing Divide ; Date: 2025-07-10

New #AheadOfTheTrend — Faith Meets the Future: Religion and the Gene Editing Divide

In 2021, @pewresearch.org fielded a survey that included questions about gene editing practices and implications. There’s a lot to learn about what factors shape people’s views and how much religion contributes.

Community Profile Builder | US Religion The Community Profile Builder provides information about communities, including locations of churches in a selected area and social, economic and religious info

Listen to real stories of impact about the ARDA's Community Profile Builder on why the resource has become essential in the ways they conduct ministry and community outreach.

View our new video and learn more about the Community Profile Builder at www.thearda.com/us-religion/....

More from #AheadOfTheTrend:

It’s easy to view Catholic traditionalists as falling in line with our modern conception of politics, being against abortion, same-sex marriage, and immigration. But the data tells a much more complicated story.

Read the analysis at www.thearda.com/categories/a....

Crime and Religion

Does religion prevent individuals from committing crimes? How does religion shape an individual’s perception of crime and views on punishment? Our college learning module, "Crime and Religion" helps students answer these questions and more. Download the free module at the link below.

A Pope Who Doubts? - The Role of Certainty in the Lives of Catholics Ahead of the Trend Article - Title: A Pope Who Doubts? - The Role of Certainty in the Lives of Catholics ; Date: 2025-06-19

New #AheadOfTheTrend: The Role of Certainty in the Lives of Catholics

The General Social Survey includes a question about belief in God with options from believing without doubts to an atheistic view. It’s helpful to visualize how American Christian groups answered that question.

Read more:

The ARDA was featured in an article in the most recent issue of Encounter: A Journal of Theological Scholarship from Christian Theological Seminary. Rob Saler writes about why good data on religion is essential for pastors and practitioners.

Read the article at cts.libguides.com/library/publ....

Religious Views on Homosexuality

In June, many religion scholars seek to better understand the LGBTQ+ community and how various religious groups and denominations view individuals who identify with it. Explore our learning module on this topic to better understand national survey data at this intersection of faith and sexuality.

Part of the ARDA's ethos is to be relevant to conversations being held in the world of religion today. One way we contribute to these ongoing conversations is through learning modules that are designed to educate individuals about particular topics through use of the best religion data.

The Association of Religion Data Archives (@religiondata.bsky.social) is one of the central programs of the Center. The ARDA contains more than 90 learning modules on religion data, including notable topics such as religious views on homosexuality. Learn more at www.thearda.com/categories/t....

Congratulations to our Executive Co-Director @andrew-whitehead.bsky.social for being selected as a research fellow by the Charles F. Kettering Foundation (@kettering.org). We look forward to seeing the work that stems from this opportunity!

Andrew Whitehead (@andrew-whitehead.bsky.social), Executive Co-Director of @religiondata.bsky.social, was named a distinguished research fellow by the Charles F. Kettering Foundation (@kettering.org).

Learn more about Andrew's honor and work at raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/news/andrew-....

How Certain Are Clergy of their Faith? Ahead of the Trend Article - Title: How Certain Are Clergy of their Faith? ; Date: 2025-06-05

New #AheadOfTheTrend: How Certain Are Clergy of their Faith?

A common assumption is that religious leaders have full surety about matters of religious belief. However, according to data from the National Survey of Religious Leaders, there might be some variability in clergy certainty.

Read more: