This project seeks to better understand religion-related hate crimes. Existing data assessing criminal victimization and bias-motivated crimes do not adequately measure the religion of victims or the role of religion in bias-motivated crimes. This project includes a nationally representative survey of over 2,000 adults (with over-samples of religious minority groups) to assess individuals’ experiences with victimization and whether they perceived that religious bias was a motivator for their being victimized. The project findings will be shared with law enforcement, communities, and policy-makers in an effort to prevent religion-related crimes and serve the victims of such crimes. In addition to the survey (which will be publically archived for others to use after the end of the grant), this project will produce articles and presentations.
As a supplement to this project, RPLP researchers obtained additional funding support from the Rice University Faculty Initiatives Fund (FIF) to conduct 20 follow-up interviews with survey respondents. The FIF funding will also support programming dedicated to the topic of religion-related bias and hate, allowing the RPLP to amplify project data to religious and civic leaders in Houston.
This project is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and with funding from the Rice University Faculty Initiatives Fund.
Does religion (especially evangelicalism and Catholicism) keep minorities out of science? Do different racial minority groups within Christian traditions differ in their support for science? This research explores these and other related questions through a series of focus groups, participant observations, and in-depth interviews at three congregations in Houston.
RISE received funding from Rice University.
LEARN MORE:
Heaven and Health: How Black, Latino, and Korean Christians View the Relationship Between Faith and Health
— REVIEW OF RELIGIOUS RESEARCH
Some Black and Latino Christians Rely on Religion for Healing
— RICE UNIVERSITY
In RUS, we explore how religious Americans think through complex scientific issues. This project involved observing religious services, as well as 319 personal interviews with religious individuals from a variety of faith traditions, including Catholics, Jews, evangelical Christians, Muslims, and mainline Protestants. To complement the depth of these personal interviews, we conducted a broad, nationally representative survey of more than 10,000 Americans. A book based on the study’s findings, Religion vs. Science: What Religious People Really Think, was published in December 2017.
RUS received generous funding from the John Templeton Foundation.
LEARN MORE:
Few Americans Have Confidence in Universities, Survey Finds
—TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION
Can Science Find Common Ground with Evangelicals?
—SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
Faith and Reason
—THE ECONOMIST
