Interesting statistic about JWs in this week's Newsweek

by lucky 20 Replies latest jw friends

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  lucky

  I just got this week's Newsweek in the mail. The cover story is "Spirituality in America". Page 54 has a table listing change in religious self-identification between 1990 and 2001. The four bottom religions, with negative percentages, are Jehovah's Witnesses (-4%), Jewish, Rastafarian, and Protestant. The source is cited as a City University of New York survey in 2001. I looked the survey up and found the site:
  
  http://www.gc.cuny.edu/faculty/research_briefs/aris/key_findings.htm

  It has some pretty interesting statistics about Jehovah's Witnesses, including the estimated number of witnesses in 1991 (1,381,000) vs. 2001(1,331,000), the number of Witnesses who have "switched in" (517,540) and "switched out" (380,983), and the percentage of JW's who are divorced (6%). They are weighted estimates based on a survey of 50,000 people, but it would still be interesting to do a comparison of some of the statistics with the "official" available WTBTS statistics.

  I'm sorry if this study has been posted before, but it's the first I've ever seen of it and I thought it was pretty interesting.
• 

  upside/down

  
  Take all the Dub "figures" and subract from 1/4 to 1/3...and you'll be more accurate...

  They take "theocratic liberty" when it comes to counting...

  With the "generation" issue and the 1914 crowd all about to bite the dust, I think without some SERIOUS changes the religion will just wind down from all the previously generated inertia it made up...

  An oil tanker... coasting to a stop, as it were.....cuz it's outta gas!

  u/d(of the negative growth is a beautiful thing class)
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  jgnat

  The stats for the US in 1990 are as follows:

  Peak Publishers - 850,120. Memorial Attendance - 1,863,641. As we know, the JW's are a little more exclusive than most religious groups when they count "valid" memberships. Nevertheless, many people identify themselves as JW's even if they have dropped association. That is what they would likely mark on a circulated survey.

  Looking at memoral attendees, it seems the society plumped their numbers by 500,000, even back in 1990.
• 

  orangefatcat

  It goes to show you how many have fled the organization. On a world wide level the figures are probably very high.

  People are seeing the light and are not hesitating on leaving the organization.

  thanks for sharing those statistics with us.

  Orangefatcat.
• 

  DanTheMan

  I think it's because of surveys like this that the WTS, via a Kingdoom Misanthropy announcement a few years ago, made it very clear that congregations were *not* to participate in any sort of sociological studies or surveys and were to direct anybody interested in studying the local JW's in such a way to the Brooklyn org or to the publications.
• 

  lucky

  Sorry, for some reason, the statistics didn't post the first time! Second try:
  
  
  
  

  55% of those listing "Jehovah's Witness" as their religion are "official" members (I would assume that means baptized, or maybe a publisher) 27% of witnesses are single 3% are single and co-habiting (THAT's an interesting statistic) 30% live in a "mixed" (divided) household with at least one non-witness adult 24% are ages 18-29 10% are 65+ 71% were female in 2001 vs. 60% female in 1990 (that's an interesting one) 46% are white 37% are black 14% are hispanic

  Here's another interesting set: 2% identify themselves as republicans 10% as democrats 34% as independents 54% say they have no political affiliation

  I would have to guess that the 12% who are democrat/republican are inactive or in the early stages of studying. My guess would be that the 34% who identified themselves as independents were confused about what an independent is (maybe they thought it meant "independent of the political system" as opposed to "independent of a political party").

  Again, here's where I got these: http://www.gc.cuny.edu/faculty/research_briefs/aris/key_findings.htm
  The website says that the survey was conducted by telephone, of 50,000 households in the 48 contiguous states.
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  doofdaddy

  What I saw as major flaw with the wts is its obsession with stats. Really if the truth is really the truth why run it like a two bit company with pen pushers madly tapping in figures? Who cares if only 3 people know the "truth"?

  I reckon its all part of the windup.. We are winners! See? Look at our figures.(read company profits)

  Now that things aren't going so hot the figures need plumping just like a company in trouble. Don't want the shareholders getting nervous do we?

  What do shareholders do when they get nervous?

  They sell out.....
• 

  buffalosrfree

  As an attendant in a cong from around 1993/94 until 97, I attended all memorials and was the attendant in charge of counting the heads so to speak, and two occasions that I checked, the number given was definitely different than the number i counted and gave the secretary, yes the do in fact inflate the numbers. I was an eye witness to it. So I dont trust any statistical info that they put out, it is all probably lies.
• 

  DannyBloem

  As an attendant in a cong from around 1993/94 until 97, I attended all memorials and was the attendant in charge of counting the heads so to speak, and two occasions that I checked, the number given was definitely different than the number i counted and gave the secretary, yes the do in fact inflate the numbers. I was an eye witness to it. So I dont trust any statistical info that they put out, it is all probably lies.

  I have been doing this, counting of attendance. As far as I know there is no inflation of the numbers. Most dubs will no lie for those things and believe the statistics.
  When counting at conventions, it is done by two persons (per section). Most of the time the counting is difficult ans the persons do not find the same number. The number taken per section is an average of the two counters.

  I am pretty sure there is no secret inflation on purpose at convention or congregation level. Also the number of publishers per country must be about right. You can see that in congregation averages, convention attendances etc.

  As seen that the numbers of the statistic are higher than the publisher numbers, both the official JW stats and the newsweek stats could be valid. They just counted different things.
  The small percentage are not many people. 50000 persons interviewed. 1:400 or so a JW. 2% republicans. That means only 3 people....

  Danny
• 

  upside/down

  DB- I don't discount your experience in counting...BUT...

  I was in 2 Halls (out of 5) over the years where they BLATANTLY cooked the numbers...

  In Denison Iowa for example I did the count... it was a puny pathetic almost dead little congo that had been run by a little dictator named Don Crane for decades...

  The CO knew something was "askew". But couldn't figure it out. Our attendance was about 66% across the board...but when the CO showed up we were always at 150%!!! At and elders meeting with the CO he asked what was up...as the congo (about 35 pubs TOPS!) seemed sick yet our FS and meeting attendance were the envy of the circuit...

  I said, straight up...those numbers are FALSE...I know, as I've kept a seperate log of the actual numbers and had it witnessed by a trustworthy MS....

  If looks could kill...that phony PO Don Crane gave me the look of death...and needless to say, it all went down hill from there...even the new kiss ass CO (McLamb) wouldn't help me and this man STILL rules the roost with an iron phony fist.

  And it happened in another Hall too...similar story.

  So some may be honest...but many are not.

  What corporations middle-management doesn't try and make itself look good when the "numbers" are down?

  u/d(of the was too honest for my own good class)