As the Flocks Gather: How Religion Affects Voluntary Association Participation

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between different dimensions of religiosity and voluntary association participation using data from Queen’sUniversity’s 1996 “God and Society in North America” survey. I look at the participatory, devotional, affiliative, and theological dimensions of religiosity and examine how they affect voluntary association participation at three different levels: membership, volunteering, and serving on a committee. The results show that all four religious dimensions have considerable, but distinctive, influences on secular voluntary association participation.