FEWER NEW ZEALAND CITIZENS AFFILIATED WITH JWS IN 2013 THAN IN 1996: SUCCESSIVE YEARS OF DECREASE

by steve2 28 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  steve2

  FEWER NEW ZEALAND CITIZENS AFFILIATED AS JWS IN 2013 THAN IN 1996: Over 15 years of successive decreases

  The first table shows the New Zealand Census from 1976 to 2013. Typically, numbers of citizens affiliated with the Witnesses are higher than the number of active publishers because it includes children and those who are affiliated with the Witnesses but who may not be active publishers.

  Of note, more citizens were recorded as affiliated with the Witnesses in 1996 (19,527) than in 2013 (17,931). The decline in numbers affiliating with the Witnesses in New Zealand started in 2001 and has continued across two further census reports - so this is not just a temporary blip. That means that over 1,500 fewer people in 2013 were reported as afiliated with the Witnesses in New Zealand than in 1996.

  While the "growth" in peak publishers from 2006 to 2013 of 406 is noted , the peak in 2013 nonetheless is 311 fewer than in 2011. Similarly, while the increase in those attending the memorial in 2013 is an increase of 307 from 2006, it represents a decrease of over 700 from 2013 compared with 2011.

  The trending downwards of baptisms is also evident. The peak year for baptisms was 1998 (753), with 2013s numbers under half that (347).

  These are not "death knell" results; but they do suggest the period of decade-by-decade growth in this religious organization in New Zealand is in the past.

  		1976	1981	1986	1991	1996	2001	2006	2013
  NZ Census		13,392	13,740	16,377	19,182	19,527	17,826	17,910	17,931
  Publishers		7,442	7,430	9,546	12,314	13,277	13,192	13,626	14,096
  Mem		15,055	15,717	19,933	23,080	25,090	25,639	26,466	26,773
  Baptisms		500	338	651	678	473	351	281	347

  ALL TIME PEAK YEARS: 1991 Census 19,192 2011 Publishers 14,407 2011 Memorial 27,476 1998 Baptisms 753
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  Londo111

  Marked. Thanks!
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  Crazyguy

  sweet
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  never a jw

  Great! Keep pushing the downward trend! This reminds that I got translating work to do for the cause of waking up Hispanics.
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  WTWizard

  And I hope it continues going down. That is the last thing New Zealand needs--jokehovian witlesses. And the first step is to eliminate that--having fewer publishers means less time wasted, less wasted gas and lighting, less wasted paper, and better productivity. Having 14,000 publishers out of a country where the population is under 5 million simply is too much, and needs to come down. Perhaps down to 0.
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  whathappened

  Good!
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  steve2

  It is reassuring to note that the ratio of Witnesses to population has gone down. For decades the ratio of Witnesses to population was 1/108, now it's 1/130.
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  joe134cd

  Steve very interesting. But what you also have to bear in mind is that this is not just a trend for the witnesses, but for christianity in general as many NZers are moving away from religion.
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  Wozwozza

  Ha ha in those years heaps of Kiwis moved here to Australia ,probably to serve where the greed is great and to bump up the Oz figures
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  jwfacts

  interesting. I have not seen the results for the latest Aussie census, but it has been the same trend over the last few years. Interesting how publishers continue to rise, but census figures are falling.