Religious affiliation
Sophie Davies
Public
Seen by 441
Data on religious affiliation has various uses. It is used to trace the changes in values and belief systems in New Zealand society and to assess the need for various types of religion-related or religion-sponsored services. Māori, Pacific peoples, and other ethnic groups also use the data as this information is an important aspect of their culture.
However, religious affiliation is frequently identified as a variable of decreasing relevance, most recently in consultations with key census users for the 2013 Census.
There are several reasons why people question the ongoing relevance and inclusion of religious affiliation in the New Zealand Census. Firstly, census data on religious affiliation is not widely used by government agencies or deemed highly important for policy development, evaluation, or monitoring. Secondly, New Zealand is becoming increasingly secular, with just under half of the population either stating they have no religion or that they object to answering the question.
However there is a continuing demand for this data from religious organisations, academic researchers, Māori and Pacific communities, and the media. Without census data on religion, any changes in this significant cultural area would be difficult to monitor.
Our current recommendations relating to religious affiliation
- We recommend that religious affiliation be included with no changes in the 2018 Census.
See our preliminary view of 2018 Census content (pages 25-26) for a more detailed discussion on religious affiliation information
See 2013 Census information by variable for information on the religious affiliation variable
Reuben Jackson Sun 3 May 2015 11:14PM
Currently statistics are recorded for satanists, wicans, Rastafarian etc. Also more "recent religions" like "scientology" and "destiny church" have been recorded. "Jedi" has been answered "legibly" by the NZ population since 1991 (if not before). Unofficial numbers have been released on Jedi, but never officially. I have paid for this data in the past. The NZ based Jedi church www.jedichurch.org has a worldwide following of 9000+ members. The NZ Jedi Society is a registered society, seeking to raise funds for a temple. The purpose of Statistics NZ collecting data is to help different religions with the statistics they need to help determine where new churches should be built, or how to target their education. It is not the role of Statistics NZ to determine the validity of a religion, otherwise we would have arguments between Muslims, Jews and Christians, (And they all believe in the same God.... ), let alone other religions... I believe NZ statistics need to simple count the Jedi answer, and treat that answer with the same respect they do for Satanists, Rastafarians and Wicans...
Reuben Jackson Sun 3 May 2015 11:15PM
Here is the purchased Jedi data for 2006... we should not have to pay for that data. http://www.jedichurch.org/uploads/4448/files/NZStats2006.pdf
Max Dillon Coyle Sun 3 May 2015 11:15PM
I'd say its as essential as any other stat collection. Perhaps we would find it's time to remove the tax-free status of religious organisations since their membership was so low and secular affiliations made up the majority, either that or extend it to secular organisations, which would severely shrink the tax base.
Taking stock of the numbers could really shape the political landscape.
Reuben Jackson Sun 3 May 2015 11:20PM
In the 2006 census, the following religious data was counted with respect to the people who answered those questions...
Satanism 1,167
Rastafarianism 1,383
Zen Buddhist 78
Wiccan 2,082
Druid 192
Yoga 297
Is Yoga really a religion? I don't know, but it doesn't matter. NZ Statistics should count any answer that is legible. And if 20000+ people answer a very legible answer, then we can assume it is outside a margin of error... and if it happens in the last 5 census, being 1991,1996,2001,2006,2013, then i think we can discount it being a one off anomaly...
Reuben Jackson Sun 3 May 2015 11:37PM
Phil, I see a personal bias in your comment "will new religions such as Jedi emerge? How important is it to us as a society to monitor these trends?". 24 years after 1991 census, it is highly important to accept the emergence with the same speed as destiny church, and to monitor the ongoing trend. I know the data is important both to those who seek that data for direct usage for their religion, and also to educational institutions who monitor societal changes. You will be aware that Jedi data has been requested formally by university on a regular basis. With your use of the word "importance", is it the scope of statistics NZ to judge the "importance of religions"? Surely importance is based on demand for the information? Or in what meaning do you use the word importance? Are you aware of anyone who is interested in collating the number of Druids in our society? Are you aware of any thesis published that needed to know how many druids there are in NZ?
Phil (Facilitator) Mon 4 May 2015 12:08AM
You're right @reubenjackson , the importance of statistics tends to flow from the use that is made of them. Sorry, I didn't mean to give the impression that I was presenting a point of view, I posed those questions to stimulate discussion because this forum exists to reflect the range of views across the community. It's great to see people engaged!
Stefan Mon 4 May 2015 12:15AM
Many people put 'Jedi' as their religion as a joke, rather than because Jediism is a meaningful part of their lives (as religion is for many people). Including 'Jedi' as a separate option would likely increase the number of people selecting it. Because this is largely a social trend rather than a legitimate religious belief (although adherents exist, they are a minority of respondents), the data would be more a reflection of people's sense of humour instead of a representation of actual beliefs and associations.
Reuben Jackson Mon 4 May 2015 12:30AM
Hi Phil, in the intro, Statistics NZ have communicated their default position is to make no changes to the religious affiliation question. Please could you give some clarification as to what will happen following this forum? How will the feedback in this forum impact on the Stats NZ default position? e.g. with regards to previously "outside of scope" classifications, and the inquiry regarding giving multiple answers to the question. I heard recently that multiple answers were already possible for religion. How are multiple answers to religious affiliation currently dealt with in previous census?
Reuben Jackson Mon 4 May 2015 12:39AM
Stefan, i don't believe anyone is asking it to be one of the top 9 religions listed, just merely counted when written into the "other" box... It is perhaps unhelpful to make judgments regarding the seriousness of other peoples religions, and might only inflame debate in this thread.
Phil (Facilitator) · Sun 3 May 2015 10:41PM
Responses to the religious affiliation seem to have been changing relatively fast over the past few census, with just under 30% saying they had 'no religion' in 2001 rising to just over 40% in 2013. Will this trend continue, or will it plateau? Or, as you say above Guy, will new religions such as Jedi emerge? How important is it to us as a society to monitor these trends?