4) Would love feedback and pushback from anyone working on religion, survey methodology, or East Asian societies. 🙏

3) When ask which deities they actually pray to, then the numbers drop substantially, especially for Christians and the religiously unaffiliated. Measuring cultural attachment ≠ measuring religious belief. Apples ≠ oranges.

2) I tested this with Pew's 2023 probability sample data across Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Japan. Turns out it matters a lot HOW you ask.
When you ask if people feel "connected to" different religious traditions, then multiple religiosity looks very common.

1) We keep hearing that East Asians commonly hold multiple religious beliefs at once. But, if multiple religious belief is truly the norm, why do most people still check only ONE identity box even when surveys let them pick many?New preprint dropping soon. 👇

Apple versus Orange: Exaggerated Multiple Religious Belief in East Asia Recent scholarship proposes that East Asians commonly hold multiple religious beliefs simultaneously, even when they report a single religious identity or none at all. This note argues that this claim is subs
#sociology link

Thank you, and I am looking for your thoughts and criticism.

GitHub - ruiqianrichieli/China-Not-New-Rome-ABM: Replication codes for the work "China is not a new Rome" Replication codes for the work "China is not a new Rome" - ruiqianrichieli/China-Not-New-Rome-ABM

Feedback very welcome, especially from scholars of religion in China. This is exploratory work and I'd value criticism and suggestions before formal submission.
Code & data: github.com/ruiqianrichieli/China-Not-New-Rome-ABM

Necessary to announce: I'm a sociologist of religion and survey methodologist, not a China religion specialist. This is my first attempt at testing survey findings against a computational model — and I think the framework could extend to other contexts like the US.

Key findings: Under a neutral population, Christianity never exceeds 3%. Even assuming high religious demand, regulation caps growth at 10–15%. Strict churches win internal competition but can't expand the convertible pool. Supply-side mechanisms are real — but bounded by demand.

Rather than picking sides on data, I formalized the theory's own mechanisms as an agent-based model — competitive evangelism, strict-church retention, cross-religion recruitment — and ran 100-year simulations under maximally favorable conditions.

Where is the research question? The supply-side theory (Stark & Finke 2000) predicts 7–10% annual Christian growth in China, potentially a Christian majority by 2050. Survey data consistently shows 2–5% with growth plateaued since ~2010 (Hackett & Tong 2025). Who's right?

New preprint: "China is Not the New Rome: An Agent-Based Model Test of the Supply-Side Theory"
How many Christians are in China — and how many will there be? This debate has been at an impasse. My paper tries a new approach using computational simulation.
🔗 doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/t9f7u_v1

Baylor Religion Survey Commemorates 20 Years with Wave 7 Results

Baylor Religion Survey Commemorates 20 Years with Wave 7 Results

news.web.baylor.edu/news/story/2...

#ASA2025 is physically exhausting but emotionally rewarding. Though one thing I still need to improve is schedule management as mine was horrible. Safely got back to work though the flight was badly delayed. But I had a chance to explore the midnight DC metro. Hope everyone is back home smoothly

Heading to Chicago for ASA, ASR, or SSSP this weekend? Would love to connect over coffee and catch up with old friends or meet new ones! #ASA2025

Hi Dan, thank you for the offer. I would love to schedule a coffee meet up with you. Can I dm or email you to schedule a time?

Even if unpopular, CS is an extremist hub linking to other far-right ideologies & behaviors. I hope this project sparks more rigorous, civic, cross-faith, and interdisciplinary work on Christian nationalism & preventing its statist turn. (AI assist: I wrote the content; ChatGPT o3 helped edit.) 6/6

And Problem #3: We lack research on prevention & de-radicalization of the statist variant of CN. How should governments, communities, clergy, educators, scholars & civic actors intervene against CS drift? Our study only scratches this. 5/6

Problem #2: CS's risk is often understated by scholars who criticize the literature. CS frames can move through shared religious symbols & narratives, radicalizing more conventional Judeo-Christian believers and pressuring religious pluralism and multiculturalism. 4/6

The current literature is suffering from three problems. Problem #1: The popularity of CS is often overstated. Nat'l surveys usually find only a minority of U.S. adults endorse CS items. 3/6

CS promotes that the nation state should enforce dominance of white Protestantism while RT assumes a Christian majority accompany with religious tolerance (not pluralism). And the study is the first to show how they are related to distinct beliefs/practices on God-human relationship.2/6

New study developed from a dissertation chapter I wrestled with for years. With my PhD chair Paul, we distinguish Christian Statism (CS—often called "white Christian nationalism") from Religious traditionalism (RT). 1/6

🛐 Same God, different prayers.

Drs. @lordrichie.bsky.social & Paul Froese's #Socius study maps two kinds of Christian nationalists in the U.S., each with distinct views of God and prayer. A new take on #ReligionSociology, #Identity, and #AmericanPolitics.

Read: doi.org/10.1177/2378...

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... after two rounds of rejection I am happy to see this paper is published with a much better quality

Spirituality and Religion: How Does the U.S. Compare With Other Countries? Explore how adults in the U.S. and 35 other countries compare religiously and spiritually when it comes to affiliation, prayer, afterlife beliefs and more, according to Pew Research Center.

NEW: Spirituality and Religion: How Does the U.S. Compare With Other Countries?
www.pewresearch.org/religion/202...

Wow, the article is now the most read one on Socius. And only five months after its publication. Congratulations!

Project Overview Pew Research Center is seeking two Research Assistants to join its Religion research project. The Research Assistants will support the project’s demography of religion and U.S. survey research teams. The demography of religion team analyzes data on the religious identity and characteristics of populations. It produces reports describing the religious composition of countries as well as other topics at the intersection of religion and social trends (e.g. religion and educational attainment, gender differences in religious commitment levels). The U.S. survey research team produces reports that explore issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs. Through public opinion surveys and other quantitative tools, it studies religious groups in the U.S. and examines the influence of religion on politics and society. The people in these positions will work closely with other researchers on staff and will report to an Associate Director of Religion research. Primary Responsibilities Compiling and analyzing data from surveys and censuses Descriptive statistical analysis Creating tables and charts in Stata, Excel, Word and PowerPoint Contacting statistical agencies to request information and custom tables Data cleaning, maintaining and reviewing internal files and databases Number checking, fact checking, proofing Performing background research, including literature reviews, contacting subject matter experts and online data gathering Assisting with questionnaire development Coordinate the translation and checking of questionnaires

Education/Training/Experience B.A. degree is required. A concentration in sociology, political science, economics or another social science is desirable Strong quantitative skills, background in data management and analysis preferred Experience undertaking research using Stata, R, SPSS or other statistical software Mastery of descriptive statistics Knowledge and Skill Requirements Quantitative skills, including an ability to use Stata, SPSS or other statistical software Interest in public and/or international affairs, particularly in issues concerning religion and the intersection of religion and public life Strong verbal and written communications skills Facility using syntax commands to carefully document analysis using log files is desired Ability to balance numerous projects simultaneously Attention to detail, including exacting standards to maintain accuracy and impartiality in all work products Proven ability to communicate research results clearly and concisely Ability to work collaboratively and collegially with staff from the religion team, as well as with staff from other Pew Research Center projects and outside organizations Ability to balance multiple projects and meet tight deadlines while ensuring accuracy in data management, fact checking and research Ability to communicate in more than one language is advantageous

PLEASE SHARE:
We just posted an ad for TWO research assistant positions on @pewresearch.org's religion team.

We expect a lot of applications so it's best to apply this week for full consideration.

Come work with our great team!

pewtrusts.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Center...

So happy to see this paper published!

It looks so dangerous to me who’s on a diet haha

2025 Andrew Carnegie Fellows graphic announcement with Cynthia Miller-Idriss

Congratulations to our own @milleridriss.bsky.social, a member of carnegiecorp.bsky.social's 2025 class of #CarnegieFellows! This distinguished group of scholars is researching the causes of political polarization and seeking ways to strengthen social cohesion and fortify our democracy.