The Mormon Gender Issues Survey: Research Summary Prepared by The Mormon Gender Issues Survey Group December 9, 2015 Researchers (listed alphabetically): Brent D. Beal Heather K. Olson Beal Jennifer Beu Eric Canen Caitlin Carroll Ryan T. Cragun John Dehlin Jessica Duckett Finnigan Brad Jones Stephen M. Merino Kristy Money Lindsay Nielson Michael Nielsen Nancy Ross Matt Stearmer Amber Whiteley

The Mormon Gender Issues Survey: Research Summary by The Mormon Gender Issues Survey Group is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Based on a work at http://mormongendersurvey.org/.

Table of Contents Executive Summary...................................................................................................................................2 Introduction................................................................................................................................................3 Methods and Data..................................................................................................................................3 Findings......................................................................................................................................................5 Neutral Ordination Question vs. LDS Ordination Question.................................................................5 Gender...................................................................................................................................................7 Age........................................................................................................................................................9 Race/Ethnicity.....................................................................................................................................11 Income.................................................................................................................................................13 Educational Attainment.......................................................................................................................15 Political Views.....................................................................................................................................17 Activity Level......................................................................................................................................19 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................................21 Future Plans..............................................................................................................................................22 Publications..............................................................................................................................................23 Papers..................................................................................................................................................23 Book Chapters.....................................................................................................................................23 Conference Presentations....................................................................................................................23 About The Mormon Gender Issues Survey Group..................................................................................25 Members of The Mormon Gender Issues Survey Group....................................................................25 Kickstarter Backers..................................................................................................................................31 Donations of $200 or more..................................................................................................................31 Donations of $50 or more....................................................................................................................31 Media Inquiries........................................................................................................................................32

1

Executive Summary In light of shifting gender roles in the US and around the world, a group of scholars came together to develop a clearer understanding of gender dynamics in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon Church). This group of scholars, the Mormon Gender Issues Survey Group (MGISG), is made up mostly of social scientists. The scholars live and work in a variety of locations across the United States and are at various stages in their careers, from graduate students to full professors. Almost all of the members of the MGISG are currently affiliated with the LDS Church. Our shared interest in gender dynamics in the LDS Church led us to field two surveys in the Fall of 2014. The first survey was funded by a Kickstarter campaign and drew data from a panel survey company, Qualtrics. This survey had a relatively small sample of 474 participants. The other survey employed a purposive sampling approach and yielded a much larger sample of participants, 48,984. The nature of the survey methods mean that we cannot say that a given percentage of LDS Church members support or oppose the ordination of women; such a study was beyond our means, and would require a substantial budget. The methods do, however, allow us to determine that several factors impact attitudes toward ordination. The primary topic of interest was what percentage of Mormons (i.e., members of the LDS Church) support the ordination of women. Prior surveys of Mormons in the US found that the percentage was quite low, close to 10%. We believed that the way that previous surveys had worded the question was problematic as it did not reflect how the ordination of women would occur in the LDS Church. The question was worded as follows, “Do you, personally, believe that women who are dedicated members of the Church should have the opportunity to be ordained to the priesthood?” Our alternative question asked participants, “If the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were to receive a revelation allowing women to hold the priesthood, I would be...” Response options ranged from strongly supportive to strongly opposed. Like prior surveys, very few Mormons supported the ordination of women when asked the first question; 9.9% supported the ordination of women in the first sample while just 8.4% did in the second. However, we found substantial support for the ordination of women when participants were asked our alternative question: 67.1% of respondents in the first sample reported they would be strongly supportive or supportive of women's ordination, and another 17.9% were neutral; just 15.0% of Mormons said they would oppose or strongly oppose the ordination of women if the decision came from the leadership of the religion. In the second sample, 77.1% of respondents said they would support or strongly support the ordination of women, 14.2% were neutral, and just 8.7% of participants in the second sample indicated they would oppose or strongly oppose a revelation to ordain women from the leadership of the LDS Church. These findings suggest that a substantial majority of members of the LDS Church would support the ordination of women if it was announced as a revelation from the leaders of the religion. Two other findings are notable. More devout Mormons were more opposed to the first ordination question, but also reported that they would be more supportive of a revelation from the leaders allowing women to be ordained than less devout Mormons. More politically conservative Mormons exhibited the same pattern relative to more politically liberal Mormons. In addition to questions about the ordination of women, we explored a variety of other topics related to gender dynamics in the LDS Church in the surveys. The full report has more details on the findings and citations for publications based on the surveys. 2

Introduction Broad cultural shifts in the US and in many other countries around the world reflect the recent reimagining of gender and gender roles that has taken place. People are increasingly becoming aware of the fact that gender – how we portray or project our identities within culturally established masculine and feminine frameworks – is something people do, not something that people are. This realization has led to substantial upheaval in locations where heteronormative and patriarchal gender norms are pervasive, as those who suffer from such norms (e.g., women, but also sexual and other gender minorities, like LGBTQI individuals) have begun to challenge cisgendered, heterosexual male dominance. Reflecting these shifting mores, a group of scholars came together to consider ways to develop a clearer understanding of gender dynamics in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon Church). This group of scholars, the Mormon Gender Issues Survey Group (MGISG), is made up mostly of social scientists, but includes scholars from a diverse array of disciplines, from Sociology to Business Management. A complete list of the members of the MGISG is included in this report. The scholars live and work in a variety of locations across the United States, from California to Florida, and are at various stages in their careers, from graduate students to full professors. Almost all of the members of the MGISG are current members of the LDS Church.

Methods and Data Our shared interest in gender dynamics in the LDS Church led us to field two surveys in the Fall of 2014. The first survey was funded by a Kickstarter campaign and drew data from a panel survey company, Qualtrics. While this approach is not equivalent to other survey methodologies that attempt to approximate a nationally representative sample, like random digit dialing of telephone numbers or probability sampling in person, this approach has been shown in prior research to result in comparable findings, as was the case in our own study. The sample size from the first survey, which we refer to in this report as “Sample 1,” was relatively small. A total of 525 individuals completed the survey. However, our first question in both surveys asked participants, “According to its records, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has approximately 15 million members. Do you think your name is on the Church records?” Response options included, “Yes, and I currently identify as LDS,” “Yes, but I do not identify as LDS,” “No, but I was LDS,” “No, I have never been LDS,” “Don't know,” and “Prefer not to respond.” Respondents who chose one of the last three responses were thanked for their interest but were not allowed to take the survey. In this report, we are examining just those who chose the first option, indicating that they both (1) identify as LDS and (2) are on the LDS Church's membership records. Of the 525 individuals who participated in Sample 1, 474 were in this category. Participants in Sample 1 were asked a subset of the questions we wanted to include in the survey due to the limited funds we had available from our Kickstarter campaign. Of note, in some of the analyses below, we had very small numbers in some of the categories in Sample 1 (e.g., on the race/ethnicity question). Where the number of individuals in a category is below 20, we do not present those results in the tables. To supplement the results from Sample 1, we also conducted a second survey, “Sample 2,” that included a number of additional questions (the length was extended by about 30%), including three open-ended questions that provided us with qualitative data on gender issues in the LDS Church. This 3

survey employed a purposive (or snowball) approach and yielded a much larger sample of participants. At the end of data collection, we had 71,309 completed responses and 20,389 incomplete responses. After cleaning the data to remove duplicates and responses with missing data, our final sample size was 61,066. In this report, we are only presenting the results from those individuals who were from the US and were in the first category noted above in Sample 1, meaning they were on the LDS Church's membership records and identified as LDS (N = 48,984). Despite the very large sample size, we recognize the limitations of surveys that employ purposive sampling and encourage readers to keep those limitations in mind as they examine this report.

4

Findings Because the MGISG has already summarized a significant portion of the information that would normally be included in a research report in a number of academic articles, book chapters, and presentations (see below for citations), we have only included very rudimentary findings in this report. Readers who are interested in more detailed results are strongly encouraged to read the publications cited below, all of which are available either on the MGISG website or from the authors.

Neutral Ordination Question vs. LDS Ordination Question The primary topic of interest of the study was what percentage of Mormons (i.e., members of the LDS Church) support the ordination of women. Prior surveys of Mormons in the US had found that the percentage was quite low, close to 10%, when they asked participants the following question, “Do you, personally, believe that women who are dedicated members of the Church should have the opportunity to be ordained to the priesthood?” We refer to this as the “neutral” ordination question in this report. We found similar numbers in our samples, as shown in Figure 1. In Sample 1, 9.9% supported the ordination of women; in Sample 2, 8.4% supported the ordination of women. Figure 1. Views on whether worthy women should be ordained. (neutral ordination question)

100% 90%

5.5%

7.8%

3.6%

11.7%

9.9%

80%

8.4%

70%

don't know other Yes No

60% 50% 40%

81.0% 72.1%

30% 20% 10% 0% Sample 1

Sample 2

We believed that the way that previous surveys had worded the question about ordination was problematic as it did not reflect how the ordination of women would occur in the LDS Church. In addition to asking the same question prior surveys had used, we included an alternative question that asked participants, “If the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were to receive a revelation allowing women to hold the priesthood, I would be...” Response options ranged from strongly supportive to strongly opposed. We refer to this as the “LDS” ordination question in this report. The results from this question are presented in Figure 2. 5

Figure 2. Support and opposition for revelation allowing women to be ordained. LDS ordination question

100% 90% 80%

8.8%

14.2% 17.9%

70% 60% 50%

3.9% 4.8%

6.2%

40.0%

40%

strongly opposed opposed neither supportive nor opposed supportive strongly supportive

42.4%

30% 20% 10%

34.7%

27.1%

0% Sample 1

Sample 2

We found substantial support for the ordination of women when participants were asked the LDS ordination question: 67.1% of respondents in Sample 1 reported they would be strongly supportive or supportive of women's ordination, and another 17.9% were neutral; just 15.0% of Mormons said they would oppose or strongly oppose the ordination of women if the decision came from the leadership of the religion. In Sample 2, 78.1% of respondents said they would support or strongly support the ordination of women, 14.2% were neutral, and just 8.7% of participants in the second sample indicated they would oppose or strongly oppose a decision to ordain women if it came from the top leaders of the LDS Church.

6

Gender Prior surveys have examined differences in attitudes toward the ordination of women by the gender of survey participants, finding that men tend to be more supportive of the ordination of women than are women. We found the same thing, though in Sample 2 we had the added advantage of an “other” gender (for those who do not identify with the problematic but pervasive gender binary) and they were notably different. Table 1 shows how attitudes toward the ordination of women varied by gender on the neutral ordination question. Table 1. Views on whether worthy women should be ordained by gender. (neutral ordination question) Sample 1

No

Yes

other

don't know

men

78.1

12.3

4.8

4.8

women

82.3

8.8

3.0

5.8

-

-

-

-

men

65.1

12.1

14.6

8.2

women

74.9

7.0

10.5

7.6

other

30.9

26.6

27.7

14.9

other Sample 2

In Sample 1, 12.3% of men and 8.8% of women supported the ordination of women. In Sample 2, 12.1% of men and 7.0% of women supported the ordination of women, while 26.6% of those who identified as an other gender supported the ordination of women.

7

On the LDS ordination question there was a notable gap between men and women in their support for a revelation received by the leaders of the religion allowing for the ordination of women, as shown in Table 2. In Sample 1, 72.4% of men indicated they would support a revelation received by the leaders of the religion, while 64.5% of women indicated they would. In Sample 2 we found an even bigger gap between men and women, with 85.9% of men and 73.4% of women supporting a revelation allowing women to be ordained. Table 2. Support for revelation allowing worthy women to be ordained by age group. (LDS ordination question) Sample 1

strongly supportive supportive

neutral

opposed

strongly opposed

men

30.4

42.0

12.3

8.0

7.2

women

25.5

39.0

20.6

9.2

5.7

-

-

-

-

-

men

50.0

35.9

8.3

2.8

3.0

women

28.2

45.2

16.7

5.7

4.3

other

49.4

26.4

16.1

4.6

3.4

other Sample 2

8

Age There was some variation in attitudes toward ordination by the age of respondents. In general, older respondents tended to be more opposed to the ordination of women when asked the neutral ordination question (see Table 3). This was the case in both samples. Table 3. Views on whether worthy women should be ordained by age group. (neutral ordination question) Sample 1

No

Yes

other

don't know

18-25

75.0

15.3

4.2

5.6

26-30

87.8

5.4

4.1

2.7

31-40

79.5

11.1

4.3

5.1

41-50

78.8

10.6

3.0

7.6

51-60

79.4

12.7

1.6

6.3

61-70

88.1

3.4

3.4

5.1

71+

78.3

8.7

4.3

8.7

18-25

76.5

5.2

11.4

6.9

26-30

71.0

7.4

13.5

8.1

31-40

68.7

10.1

12.3

8.9

41-50

70.4

11.6

10.0

8.0

51-60

75.9

8.3

9.6

6.2

61-70

78.9

8.9

7.1

5.1

71+

80.5

8.8

5.3

5.3

Sample 2

9

However, when asked the LDS ordination question, the pattern was slightly different. The youngest age group, those 18-25, were the least likely to indicate they would support a revelation from the leaders of the religion allowing the ordination of women, as shown in Table 4. Table 4. Support for revelation allowing worthy women to be ordained by age group. (LDS ordination question) Sample 1

strongly supportive supportive

neutral

opposed

strongly opposed

18-25

22.0

39.0

18.6

10.2

10.2

26-30

27.7

36.9

23.1

7.7

4.6

31-40

27.1

41.1

15.9

10.3

5.6

41-50

35.1

36.8

14.0

12.3

1.8

51-60

24.1

44.4

14.8

7.4

9.3

61-70

23.6

41.8

23.6

1.8

9.1

71+

34.8

39.1

13.0

13.0

0.0

18-25

30.1

42.9

16.1

6.6

4.4

26-30

34.9

42.7

14.5

4.5

3.4

31-40

36.6

41.9

13.5

4.3

3.6

41-50

36.6

41.3

13.6

4.4

4.1

51-60

36.9

42.4

12.5

4.0

4.1

61-70

35.2

44.3

11.9

4.8

3.8

71+

30.2

45.2

14.7

4.9

4.9

Sample 2

10

Race/Ethnicity Race and ethnicity are somewhat problematic to analyze when it comes to Mormons, as the religion is not very racially or ethnically diverse in the US. Sample 1 includes just five Black Mormons, and even fewer Native Americans and Pacific Islanders. Even in Sample 2, with tens of thousands of respondents, just 177 respondents indicated their race was “Black, non-Hispanic,” or 0.3% of our sample. Non-Hispanic Whites made up 89.2% of Sample 1 and 89.8% of Sample 2. Given the very small number of non-White respondents in Sample 1, we report only the percentages for groups with more than 20 respondents which, in this case, means we only report the results for non-Hispanic Whites in Sample 1. Additionally, given the method of data collection for Sample 2, readers should remember that the results below are not assumed to be representative of all Mormons in the US. Even so, there was very little variation in attitudes toward the ordination of women based on the neutral ordination question, as shown in Table 5. In Sample 2, which has greater representation from minority racial and ethnic groups, just two racial/ethnic groups stand out: both Asians and those who reported their race as “other” were more supportive of the ordination of women compared to the other groups. Table 5. Views on whether worthy women should be ordained by race/ethnicity. (neutral ordination question) Sample 1

No

Yes

other

don't know

White, non-Hispanic

82.3

9.5

3.5

4.7

Black, non-Hispanic

-

-

-

-

Hispanic

-

-

-

-

Asian

-

-

-

-

Native American

-

-

-

-

Pacific Islander

-

-

-

-

other

-

-

-

-

White, non-Hispanic

72.2

8.5

11.4

7.9

Black, non-Hispanic

67.8

10.2

9.0

13.0

Hispanic

71.0

9.2

10.9

8.9

Asian

60.5

13.6

14.4

11.4

Native American

71.3

9.6

13.0

6.1

Pacific Islander

76.7

8.3

9.1

5.9

other

61.6

8.6

22.4

7.4

Sample 2

In Sample 2 in Table 6, just one group stands out: non-Hispanic Blacks are the least likely to support a revelation from the leaders allowing women to be ordained, with 67.7% indicating they 11

would be supportive or strongly supportive of such a revelation. Table 6. Support for revelation allowing worthy women to be ordained by race/ethnicity. (LDS ordination question) Sample 1

strongly supportive

supportive

neutral

opposed

strongly opposed

White, non-Hispanic

28.3

39.5

17.6

8.5

6.1

Black, non-Hispanic

-

-

-

-

-

Hispanic

-

-

-

-

-

Asian

-

-

-

-

-

Native American

-

-

-

-

-

Pacific Islander

-

-

-

-

-

other

-

-

-

-

-

White, non-Hispanic

34.5

42.8

14.0

4.9

3.8

Black, non-Hispanic

37.3

30.4

19.0

7.0

6.3

Hispanic

37.5

37.3

17.6

4.3

3.2

Asian

40.2

39.9

12.3

3.5

4.1

Native American

36.9

37.8

18.9

2.1

4.3

Pacific Islander

31.2

44.6

14.7

3.6

5.8

other

41.1

37.1

13.1

4.8

3.8

Sample 2

12

Income The relationship between attitudes toward the ordination of women and income was not particularly strong, but there was a fairly clear pattern. Table 7 illustrates that attitudes toward the ordination of women are fairly uniform across the income categories in Sample 1, but in Sample 2 there is a noticeable decline in opposition as incomes increase. For instance, in Sample 2, the two highest income brackets had the lowest opposition: 66.6% of respondents making between $100,001 and $250,000 and 60.0% of respondents making over $250,000 indicated they opposed the ordination of worthy women to the priesthood. Table 7. Views on whether worthy women should be ordained by income. (neutral ordination question) Sample 1

No

Yes

other

don't know

less than $10,000

81.5

14.8

0.0

3.7

$10,001-$25,000

70.0

14.0

2.0

14.0

$25,001-$50,000

85.7

5.3

3.0

6.0

$50,000-$75,000

83.9

8.9

5.6

1.6

$75,001-$100,000

72.1

21.3

6.6

0.0

$100,001-$250,000

73.3

6.7

2.2

17.8

-

-

-

-

less than $10,000

73.5

5.8

13.2

7.5

$10,001-$25,000

74.2

6.0

12.7

7.1

$25,001-$50,000

74.4

6.4

12.2

7.0

$50,000-$75,000

73.1

8.0

11.2

7.8

$75,001-$100,000

71.7

9.1

11.2

8.0

$100,001-$250,000

66.6

12.5

11.8

9.1

$250,001+

60.0

17.4

11.4

11.3

$250,001+ Sample 2

13

The same pattern in income was observed in the LDS ordination question as shown in Table 8; individuals with higher incomes were more supportive of a revelation from the leaders of the religion allowing women to be ordained. While support for the revelation is higher among all the income brackets, in Sample 2, 76.6% of those making less than $10,000 per year indicated they would be supportive or strongly supportive of such a revelation, while 82.7% of those making over $250,000 indicated they would be supportive or strongly supportive of such a revelation. These findings suggest that wealthier Mormons may be more in favor of the ordination of women than are less affluent Mormons. Table 8. Support for revelation allowing worthy women to be ordained by income. (LDS ordination question) Sample 1

strongly supportive

supportive

neutral

less than $10,000

37.5

25.0

25.0

8.3

4.2

$10,001-$25,000

27.7

25.5

27.7

6.4

12.8

$25,001-$50,000

22.7

46.2

15.1

10.1

5.9

$50,000-$75,000

32.7

36.3

15.0

8.0

8.0

$75,001-$100,000

25.9

48.3

15.5

8.6

1.7

$100,001-$250,000

24.3

45.9

16.2

8.1

5.4

-

-

-

-

-

less than $10,000

33.7

42.9

13.7

6.5

3.2

$10,001-$25,000

33.1

43.5

14.4

5.1

4.0

$25,001-$50,000

32.3

43.4

14.6

5.5

4.2

$50,000-$75,000

33.1

43.5

14.9

4.9

3.7

$75,001-$100,000

35.3

42.3

14.2

4.4

3.7

$100,001-$250,000

40.0

40.6

12.7

3.6

3.2

$250,001+

46.2

36.5

11.0

3.4

2.9

$250,001+

opposed strongly opposed

Sample 2

14

Educational Attainment Sample 1's smaller sample size makes the interpretation of the data from that sample problematic when it comes to the relationship between education and the ordination of women. Just four individuals with PhDs participated in the survey, and seven with JD/MDs completed the survey. Likewise, just three individuals who had not completed high school completed the survey. As a result, the findings from those education brackets are very problematic and are not shown in Table 9 below. Given these very small numbers, the findings from Sample 1 on the relationship between educational attainment and support for the ordination of worthy women are not very clear. However, the data in Sample 2 present a very clear pattern: the higher the level of educational attainment, the lower the opposition toward the ordination of worthy Mormon women based on the neutral ordination question; 82.5% of those who have just a high school diploma opposed the ordination of women, while just 49.2% of those with PhDs (a total of 1,229 individuals in Sample 2) opposed the ordination of women. Table 9. Views on whether worthy women should be ordained by education. (neutral ordination question) Sample 1

No

Yes

other

don't know

-

-

-

-

high school

73.9

10.9

0.0

15.2

some college

81.0

10.7

3.0

5.4

college graduate

83.9

8.8

5.2

2.1

Master's degree

76.5

9.8

2.0

11.8

PhD

-

-

-

-

JD/MD

-

-

-

-

did not finish high school

75.3

13.0

5.2

6.5

high school

82.5

5.3

7.3

4.9

some college

79.0

5.0

9.8

6.2

college graduate

73.7

7.3

11.6

7.4

Master's degree

61.7

13.1

14.4

10.7

PhD

49.2

23.0

16.0

11.7

JD/MD

52.8

20.1

15.5

11.6

did not finish high school

Sample 2

15

A similar pattern can be seen on the LDS ordination question in Table 10, particularly with Sample 2. Of those with just a high school diploma, 64.7% would be supportive or strongly supportive of a revelation from the leaders of the religion allowing women to be ordained; of those with a PhD, 88.2% would be supportive or strongly supportive of a revelation received by the leaders allowing women to be ordained, and 89.8% of those with a JD/MD would be supportive or strongly supportive. Educational attainment appears to be strongly related to attitudes toward the ordination of women in the LDS Church. Table 10. Support for revelation allowing worthy women to be ordained by education. (LDS ordination question) Sample 1 did not finish high school

strongly supportive supportive neutral opposed strongly opposed -

-

-

-

-

high school

33.3

22.2

20.0

11.1

13.3

some college

20.8

38.2

24.3

10.4

6.2

college graduate

28.0

47.0

13.7

7.7

3.6

Master's degree

32.7

38.8

14.3

8.2

6.1

PhD

-

-

-

-

-

JD/MD

-

-

-

-

-

did not finish high school

43.1

29.2

15.3

4.2

8.3

high school

24.6

40.1

19.8

7.0

8.5

some college

28.9

43.1

16.5

6.1

5.3

college graduate

32.9

44.3

14.4

5.0

3.4

Master's degree

42.6

40.3

11.4

2.9

2.7

PhD

58.2

30.0

7.7

1.6

2.5

JD/MD

54.9

34.9

7.1

1.9

1.2

Sample 2

16

Political Views Very few other variables show such a clear relationship with attitudes toward the ordination of women as do political views. As Table 11 illustrates, more conservative Mormons are substantially more opposed to the ordination of women based on the neutral ordination question than are more liberal Mormons. This pattern is observable in both samples. For instance, in Sample 2, 91.4% of very conservative Mormons were opposed to the ordination of worthy women while just 20.5% of very liberal Mormons were opposed to the ordination of worthy women. Of note, very few Mormons in either sample reported liberal political views. Of the 48,984 individuals in Sample 2, just 718 indicated their political views were “very liberal,” or 1.5%. There were so few in Sample 1 (just 15 individuals chose liberal and eight chose very liberal) that we did not include the percentages in Table 11. Table 11. Views on whether worthy women should be ordained by political views. (neutral ordination question) Sample 1

No

Yes

other

don't know

very conservative

90.6

5.9

1.2

2.4

conservative

93.5

3.6

0.0

2.9

moderate, but lean conservative

75.5

11.7

7.4

5.3

moderate

72.2

13.9

2.8

11.1

moderate, but lean liberal

64.0

16.0

12.0

8.0

liberal

-

-

-

-

very liberal

-

-

-

-

other

-

-

-

-

very conservative

91.4

1.0

6.1

1.4

conservative

88.7

1.3

7.6

2.4

moderate, but lean conservative

78.2

3.8

11.8

6.1

moderate

62.6

9.9

14.8

12.6

moderate, but lean liberal

43.0

21.9

16.7

18.4

liberal

29.9

36.4

13.2

20.5

very liberal

20.5

53.3

13.1

13.1

other

56.1

9.6

23.7

7.6

Sample 2

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However, this pattern shifts substantially with the LDS ordination question, as shown in Table 12. While conservative Mormons are more likely to be opposed to a revelation received by the leaders of the religion allowing women to be ordained, a majority of conservative Mormons are still supportive of such a revelation (71.0% of very conservative Mormons and 74% of conservative Mormons in Sample 2). Among liberal Mormons, an even larger majority is supportive or strongly supportive of such a revelation (88.3% of liberal Mormons and 93.5% of very liberal Mormons in Sample 2). Why more conservative Mormons change their views to support the ordination of women with the LDS ordination question is likely due to a strong culture of obedience in Mormonism; when the leaders of the religion make a decision, many members follow that decision. As a result, the majority of Mormons would support a revelation allowing women to be ordained, regardless of their political or personal views on the issue. Interestingly, opposition to a revelation from the leaders allowing the ordination of women is strongest among the more conservative members (21.7% of very conservative Mormons in Sample 1 and 14.9% of very conservative Mormons in Sample 2 would oppose such a revelation), which suggests not all conservative members are willing to follow the leaders of the religion in allowing women to be ordained. Table 12. Support for revelation allowing worthy women to be ordained by political views. (LDS ordination question) strongly supportive

supportive

neutral

opposed

strongly opposed

very conservative

27.5

29.0

21.7

8.7

13.0

conservative

21.1

46.3

17.9

9.8

4.9

moderate, but lean conservative

28.4

45.5

14.8

9.1

2.3

moderate

27.7

38.5

18.5

6.2

9.2

moderate, but lean liberal

45.5

27.3

13.6

9.1

4.5

liberal

-

-

-

-

-

very liberal

-

-

-

-

-

other

-

-

-

-

-

very conservative

31.0

40.0

14.1

6.1

8.8

conservative

25.9

48.1

14.9

5.8

5.2

moderate, but lean conservative

28.7

46.6

16.1

5.3

3.2

moderate

37.3

41.2

14.7

4.2

2.6

moderate, but lean liberal

48.9

36.4

10.7

2.9

1.1

liberal

59.4

28.9

8.1

2.1

1.5

very liberal

75.2

18.3

3.5

0.4

2.5

other

42.4

35.8

14.9

3.3

3.5

Sample 1

Sample 2

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Activity Level The final variable we analyzed for this report was the relationship between activity level in the Mormon Church and attitudes toward the ordination of women. Activity level may seem like a strange or odd measure for those not familiar with Mormonism, as other religions tend to examine measures like frequency of service attendance. However, within Mormon culture, how involved Mormons are in the religion is referred to as their “level of activity.” “Very active” Mormons typically attend services weekly (and participate in other meetings more often than that), follow most of the policies of the religion (e.g., not drinking alcohol, coffee, tea, etc.), and strongly identify as Mormon. In contrast, “not at all active” Mormons (who are commonly referred to as “less active” or “inactive” within Mormon culture), would be infrequent service attenders or individuals who do not follow all of the policies and teachings of the religion (e.g., they may drink coffee or live with someone without being married). We recognize that this measure of religiosity is different from those reported by most other religions, but it is a measure with which Mormons are familiar and that is why we asked it in our surveys. How active Mormons are was strongly related to attitudes toward the ordination of women based on the neutral ordination question. In Sample 1, 89.3% of “very active” Mormons opposed the ordination of worthy women to the priesthood, while just 42.5% of “not at all active” Mormons opposed the ordination of worthy women. The percentages are similar in Sample 2, as shown in Table 13 below. Table 13. Views on whether worthy women should be ordained by activity level. (neutral ordination question) Sample 1

No

Yes

other

don't know

very active

89.3

5.0

4.4

1.3

somewhat active

73.3

12.8

3.5

10.5

not too active

76.0

16.0

0.0

8.0

not at all active

42.5

32.5

2.5

22.5

very active

77.5

4.7

12.0

5.9

somewhat active

56.8

18.0

11.3

13.9

not too active

43.5

29.3

9.6

17.7

not at all active

37.2

39.4

6.1

17.2

Sample 2

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Like the relationship with political views, the relationship between activity and attitudes toward the ordination of women shifts dramatically with different question wording, as shown in Table 14. On the LDS ordination question, more active Mormons are more likely to indicate they would be supportive or strongly supportive of a revelation received by the leaders of the religion to allow women to be ordained than are less active Mormons. In Sample 2, 78.3% of “very active” Mormons indicated they would be supportive or strongly supportive or a revelation allowing worth women to be ordained by the leaders of the religion, while 71.6% of “not at all active” Mormons indicted they would be supportive or strongly supportive of such a revelation. We understand this to be another illustration of the strong culture of obedience in the LDS Church. The more active Mormons are, the more likely they are to adhere to the teachings and decisions of the leaders. As a result, if the leaders institute a policy change, more active Mormons are more likely to support that change, regardless of their own personal views on the issue. Table 14. Support for revelation allowing worthy women to be ordained by activity level. (LDS ordination question) Sample 1

strongly supportive

supportive

neutral

opposed strongly opposed

very active

30.9

41.0

14.8

7.0

6.2

somewhat active

20.5

38.6

24.1

12.0

4.8

not too active

15.9

43.2

20.5

13.6

6.8

not at all active

29.7

32.4

21.6

8.1

8.1

very active

33.5

44.8

13.4

4.5

3.8

somewhat active

36.4

36.4

17.0

6.2

4.0

not too active

42.2

31.0

17.3

4.9

4.6

not at all active

46.0

25.6

17.1

6.3

4.9

Sample 2

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Conclusion While not nationally representative, our two surveys provide new insights into gender dynamics in the LDS Church. While we strongly encourage researchers to follow up on our surveys with more representative surveys, we believe it is safe to conclude several things as a result of our research. • How questions about the ordination of women are framed makes a substantial difference in how Mormons respond. While just under 10% of Mormons would support the ordination of worthy women using a neutral ordination question, between two-thirds and three-fourths of the Mormons in our samples would support the ordination of women if it came about as the result of a revelation received by the leaders of the LDS Church. • Like other studies, we found that Mormon women are more likely to oppose the ordination of women to the priesthood, and that held true regardless of question wording. • Our data suggest that more affluent and better educated Mormons are more supportive of the ordination of women. • Our data suggest that, while more politically conservative Mormons tend to oppose the ordination of women when asked from a neutral perspective, a majority of conservative Mormons would support or strongly support a policy allowing women to be ordained if it was based on revelation received by the leaders of the LDS Church. • Our data suggest that more active Mormons are more likely to oppose the ordination of women when asked from a neutral perspective, but a majority of very active Mormons would support or strongly support allowing women to be ordained if it was the result of a revelation received by the leaders of the LDS Church.

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Future Plans With four book chapters published and five peer-reviewed articles either accepted for publication or under review, we believe the MGISG has already accomplished a great deal in providing a better understanding of how Mormons understand gender dynamics. We are not, however, finished with this work. The data sets we have contain a lot more data than what was included in this report and in the completed peer-reviewed articles. We have outlined three more articles, and have ideas for many more. We do hope to eventually make the data sets public, though there are some complications that will delay that process for some time. It was relatively straightforward to clean Sample 1, given the limited number of cases. Sample 2, however, required a more complicated approach. Given the very large number of cases, data cleaning was largely automated. Duplicate and nonsensical responses were removed based on algorithms rather than on a case-by-case analysis. This likely means that there are some cases still in Sample 2 that should be removed, though with a sample that large, outliers and other problematic cases are going to be much less influential on summary statistics than they would be in a smaller sample. Until we have the time to more closely examine Sample 2, we are not going to make the data sets available for others to use. Additionally, given the sensitive information included in the open-ended responses in Sample 2, we will likely never release the qualitative data to the public. However, we are planning on eventually cleaning Sample 2 and releasing the anonymized, quantitative responses publicly so others can analyze the data. As is the case with most research projects, as we answered a few questions, we came up with many more. While we still have data to analyze in the immediate future, we do hope to conduct additional surveys. Those surveys will still deal with gender dynamics in the LDS Church, but will build upon the surveys we conducted and address some of the limitations of these two surveys. For instance, we had several thousand Mormons from outside the US participate in Sample 2, but the survey was only in English. In a future survey, we plan to have multiple language options available. Another limitation of the first survey was that it was specifically geared toward current members of the religion and the questions were not well-suited for individuals who were inactive or had left the religion. In future surveys, we will branch the survey and create a separate set of questions for such individuals. Finally, there are a number of questions that we didn't ask, but believe would help us better understand gender dynamics in the LDS Church, questions like: How often do you think about Heavenly Mother? What will women's role will be in the afterlife? For married or cohabiting Mormon couples, how do you divide household labor? Do Mormons believe The Proclamation on the Family is revelation? We have many more questions we are considering for future surveys. Regardless of what we end up asking, the experience from the first two surveys has proven invaluable both in terms of the data collected and in the lessons learned for future data collection.

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Publications As of December 1, 2015, the MGISG has produced the following papers, book chapters, and presentations:

Papers • •

•

• •

Sumerau, J. E., Cragun, R. T., & Mathers, L. A. B. (forthcoming). Contemporary religion and the cisgendering of reality. Social Currents. Cragun, R. T., Merino, S. M., Stearmer, S. M., Nielsen, M. E., Beal, B. D., & Jones, B. (forthcoming). Predictors of opposition to and support for the ordination of women: Insights from the LDS Church. Mental Health, Religion, and Culture. Sumerau, J. E., Cragun, R. T., & Mathers, L. A. B. (under review). (Trans)forming gender and religion: Revealing the cisgender foundation of conservative Christianity through the experience of transgender Mormons. Sumerau, J. E., Cragun, R. T., & Beal, B. D. (under review). "As revealed by HIS prophets": Justifying religious inequality in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sumerau, J. E., Cragun, R. T., & Beal, B. D. (under review). "I don't believe this is necessarily a gender problem": Trading power for patronage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Book Chapters •

•

•

•

Beal, B. D., Olson Beal, H. K., & Stearmer, S. M. (2015). An insider account of the Mormon Gender Issues Survey: Why we did it and why a vocal minority hated it. In G. Shepherd, L. F. Anderson & G. Shepherd (Eds.), Voices for Equality: Ordain Women and Resurgent Mormon Feminism (pp. 277-295). Salt Lake City, UT: Greg Kofford Books. Cragun, R. T., & Nielsen, M. (2015). The Mormon gender issues survey: A quantitative analysis of U.S. respondents. In G. Shepherd, L. F. Anderson & G. Shepherd (Eds.), Voices for Equality: Ordain Women and Resurgent Mormon Feminism (pp. 297-318). Salt Lake City, UT: Greg Kofford Books. Ross, N., Finnigan, J., Olson Beal, H. K., Money, K., Whiteley, A. C., & Carroll, C. (2015). Finding the middle ground: Negotiating Mormonism and gender. In G. Shepherd, L. F. Anderson & G. Shepherd (Eds.), Voices for Equality: Ordain Women and Resurgent Mormon Feminism (pp. 319-334). Salt Lake City, UT: Greg Kofford Books. Sumerau, J. and Ryan T. Cragun. 2015. Trans-Forming Mormonism: Transgender Perspectives on Priesthood Ordination and Gender. In G. Shepherd, L. F. Anderson & G. Shepherd (Eds.), Voices for Equality: Ordain Women and Resurgent Mormon Feminism (pp. 117–136). Salt Lake City, UT: Greg Kofford Books.

Conference Presentations •

Resurgent Mormon feminism: Ordain Women, the Mormon Gender Issues Survey, and contemporary LDS women. Moderator: Lavina Fielding Anderson; Presenters: Gary Shepherd, 23

•

•

•

•

Lavina Fielding Anderson, Nadine Hansen, Debra E. Jenson, Gina Colvin, Nancy Ross, Courtney Rabada. Sunstone 2015 Salt Lake Symposium: The Mormon Mind, Salt Lake City, UT, July 29-August 1, 2015. Nielsen, M. E., & Cragun, R. T. The Mormon Gender Issues Survey: A Quantitative Analysis of US Respondents. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR) and Religious Research Association (RRA), Long Beach, CA, October 23-25, 2015. Merino, S. M., Beal, B. D., & Cragun, R. T. Predictors of opposition to and support for the ordination of women: Insights from the LDS Church. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR) and Religious Research Association (RRA), Long Beach, CA, October 23-25, 2015. Cragun, R. T., Merino, S. M., & Nielsen, M. E. We want the priesthood: Factors predicting women's desire for the priesthood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR) and Religious Research Association (RRA), Long Beach, CA, October 23-25, 2015. Cragun, R. T., Money, K., Beal, B. D., & Sumerau, J. E. “As revealed by HIS prophets”: Justifying religious inequality in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR) and Religious Research Association (RRA), Long Beach, CA, October 23-25, 2015.

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About The Mormon Gender Issues Survey Group The Mormon Gender Issues Survey Group (MGISG) is made up of a number of scholars with a shared interest in surveying Mormons about their views on gender issues in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The group initially came together in the fall of 2013 and spring of 2014, and began planning surveys about gender issues in Mormonism at that time. More information about the MGISG is available on the group's website http://mormongendersurvey.org/. and a complete list of the members of the MGISG with short biographies and contact information is included below. Additional information can be found in the following recently-published book chapter: • Beal, B. D., Olson Beal, H. K., & Stearmer, S. M. (2015). An insider account of the Mormon Gender Issues Survey: Why we did it and why a vocal minority hated it. In G. Shepherd, L. F. Anderson & G. Shepherd (Eds.), Voices for Equality: Ordain Women and Resurgent Mormon Feminism (pp. 277-295). Salt Lake City, UT: Greg Kofford Books.

Members of The Mormon Gender Issues Survey Group Brent D. Beal The University of Texas at Tyler, Strategic Management [email protected] 225-802-7015 Dr. Brent D. Beal received his Ph.D. in Management from the Lowry Mays College and Graduate School of Business at Texas A&M University. He has served on the faculty of the E. J. Ourso College of Business Administration at Louisiana State University and the College of Business at McNeese State University. Dr. Beal is currently an Associate Professor of Management in the College of Business and Technology at The University of Texas at Tyler where he teaches strategic management. His vita and a description of ongoing projects can be found at www.brentdbeal.com. ~※~ Heather K. Olson Beal Stephen F. Austin University, Secondary Education [email protected] 225-802-2892 Heather K. Olson Beal is an associate professor of secondary education at Stephen F. Austin State University, where she teaches courses in student diversity, educational foundations, classroom management, and literacy. Her scholarship examines the issues of school choice, second language education, and the educational experiences of immigrant students. ~※~ Jennifer Beu Business Analytics and Data Science [email protected] 25

720-620-7935 Jennifer Beu graduated from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado at Boulder with an MS and BS in Accounting. After two and a half years in public accounting performing financial statements audits for public and private companies, she is currently in internal auditing for a cable, internet, and telephone company. She enjoys big data and data analysis and is interested in how it can improve our decision making and risk assessment. ~※~ Eric Canen University of Wyoming, Wyoming Survey & Analysis Center [email protected] 307-760-0307 Eric Canen is a Senior Research Scientist and manager of the Center of Health and Education Studies at the University of Wyoming, Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center. He has served as principal investigator on many survey and evaluation projects dealing with substance abuse and mental health issues. He has overseen the data collection, analysis and reporting of a large scale biennial survey of students in Wyoming since 2006. He has also studied the effectiveness and sustainability of large scale multi-site substance abuse prevention initiatives in Wyoming and North Dakota. Mr. Canen earned his B.S. in Psychology from Brigham Young University and two M.S. degrees in Psychology and Statistics from the University of Wyoming. His research interests include the application of sampling and survey methodologies to study social impacts of policy change. He is also interested in the practical application of survey methods to guide decision making and inform social change. ~※~ Caitlin Carroll University of Wisconsin-Madison [email protected] 608-620-5658 Caitlin Carroll is a graduate student in Comparative Politics in the Political Science department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her broad research interests include women's movements, feminist political theory, and women in elected office. Her current project is looking at the dynamics of authoritarianism and gender politics, with the primary case being Tunisia during the Bourguiba regime (1957-1987). She has also dabbled in Mormon feminist research, looking specifically at why Mormon feminists stay or leave through the framework of Albert Hirschman's exit-voice-loyalty model. ~※~ Ryan T. Cragun The University of Tampa, Sociology [email protected] 26

813-466-4110 Ryan T. Cragun is a husband, father, and sociologist of religion (in order of importance). Originally from Utah, he now lives in Florida and works at The University of Tampa. His research and writing focuses on religion, with an emphasis on Mormonism and the nonreligious. His research has been published in a variety of academic journals, including: Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Sociology of Religion, Journal of Sex Research, Journal of Religion and Health, and Journal of Contemporary Religion. He's most recent books include, Could I Vote for a Mormon for President?, What You Don't Know About Religion (but Should), and How to Defeat Religion in 10 Easy Steps. For more about his work and copies of his peer-reviewed articles you can visit his website: www.ryantcragun.com. When he's not working, he's spending time with his wife and son, cooking, watching science fiction, hiking, playing soccer, or tinkering with computers. ~※~ John Dehlin Utah State University, Clinical and Counseling Psychology [email protected] 435 227-5776 John Dehlin recently completed his Ph.D. in Clinical and Counseling Psychology at Utah State University. John's research and clinical interests focus on the nexus of mental health and religion; he has published several articles dealing with anxiety disorders and LGBT concerns within a Mormon context. John is also the founder of Mormon Stories Podcast. ~※~ Jessica Duckett Finnigan University of Cambridge, Study of Religion [email protected] +44 07429 505041 Jessica Finnigan is currently an Advanced Diploma student in the study of religion at the University of Cambridge. Her research centers on the intersection of technology and religion focused on the impact of innovation and the internet on religious communities. She graduated from BYU in 2003 with a BS in Marriage, Family, and Human Development. She and her husband have 4 daughters age 11-6 years old. Jessica co-authored "I'm a Mormon Feminist": How Social Media Revitalized and Enlarged a Movement. Which was published last year in the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion. ~※~ Brad Jones University of Wisconsin, Madison, Political Science [email protected] 27

608-957-8763 Brad Jones is finishing up a PhD in political science. He has worked extensively with survey data and analysis. He also has a general interest in “uncorrelated” Mormonism. ~※~ Stephen M. Merino University of Texas Rio Grande Valley [email protected] 956-665-3579 Stephen Merino is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. His academic interests include religion, race and ethnicity, social psychology, and social networks. Stephen’s research focuses on the role of religion in shaping social and political attitudes. His most recent work uses national survey data to examine the influence of religion in Americans’ social networks. His work has appeared in major journals such as Social Science Research, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Public Opinion Quarterly, and Review of Religious Research. ~※~ Kristy Money [email protected] 512-571-0769 Kristy Money received her PhD in Counseling Psychology from Brigham Young University in 2010. She counseled students at BYUs counseling center and wrote her dissertation on Utah suicide prevention. Her areas of emphasis include qualitative research methods, psychological test construction, and Mormon women's mental health. ~※~ Lindsay Nielson University of San Diego, Political Science [email protected] 619-260-4246 Lindsay Nielson is a graduate of Brigham Young University and the University of California, San Diego. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of San Diego, where she teaches classes in American politics and researches elections, voter turnout, and legislative politics. Her research has been published in multiple peer-reviewed journals and presented at academic conferences. She has worked with survey data over her academic career and has helped design many surveys. She is also personally interested in researching more about how LDS members view feminists and their goals.

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~※~ Michael Nielsen Georgia Southern University, Social Psychology [email protected] 912-536-3003 Michael Nielsen is professor and chair of psychology at Georgia Southern University. His research focuses on the psychology of religion, with many of his publications examining social psychological aspects of Mormonism. He was recently coeditor of The Archive for the Psychology of Religion, and he serves on the editorial or advisory boards of five other journals, including Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, and Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. He teaches courses in social psychology and psychology of religion, and has delivered invited lectures on the subject in Ukraine and Turkey. He was raised LDS and most recently taught his ward’s marriage and family Sunday School class. ~※~ Nancy Ross Dixie State University, Art History [email protected] 435-773-5953 Nancy Ross is an assistant professor at Dixie State University. She is interested in the intersection of feminism, activism, and religion. She has been involved in research on feminism and race in the LDS Church and plans to continue investigating these issues. ~※~ Matt Stearmer The Ohio State University, Sociology [email protected] 801-473-9023 Matt Stearmer is a Ph.D. Candidate of Sociology at The Ohio State University. His academic interests include social movements, gender, networks and public health. His current research explores structural level constraints on change through three distinct lines of thought: network effects on idea diffusion and cultural identity, documenting social change and stability through the Women and Peace Thesis, and identifying the structural constrains on access to healthcare for semi-vulnerable populations like rural-veterans, women and Native Americans. His work has appeared in the Journal of Peace Research, and in a book titled Sex and World Peace. ~※~

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Amber Whiteley University of Utah, Counseling Psychology [email protected] 503-544-7905 Amber is a doctoral Candidate within the Counseling Psychology program in the Educational Psychology department at the University of Utah. She is currently an instructor and researcher for the University. Her past research and publications have involved microaggressions that LGBT populations experience in a religious setting, and the roles that Mormon women play. Her current research focus involves women’s issues and social justice issues, and continues to research religious issues, particularly LDS issues. She practices as a feminist multicultural counselor and believes in empowering clients through a strengths-based approach

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Kickstarter Backers A total of 107 generous individuals donated $4,727 to help fund this project. We thank you for your support.

Donations of $200 or more • • • • •

Heather Olson Beal David Richard Hall Sonia Sousa Kim Turner (and three other anonymous contributors)

Donations of $50 or more • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Laurie Bush Lara Machin Canen Ganie DeHart John Dehlin Georganne Doty Tom Kimball Paula Baker Neill Laura Pennock Mark Pugsley Jana Riess Gary Shepherd Gordon Shepherd MaryAnne Spackman Nicole Forsgren Velasquez Michael Vinson Charlotte Willian Crystal Young-Otterstrom (and one other anonymous contributor)

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Media Inquiries For additional information about the Mormon Gender Issues Survey Group or the research results, please contact: Michael Nielsen Georgia Southern University, Social Psychology [email protected] 912-478-5539

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