Latter-day Saints in the US stand out based on how they view and connect with their communities, according to a report published by the Survey Center on American Life.
The report states that 72 percent of Latter-day Saints feel at least somewhat connected to their community, which is an exceptional number when compared to other religious groups. “Religious identity and involvement are strongly associated with community attachment. No religious group feels more connected to their neighbors than do Mormons,” the report explains.
No religious group feels more connected to their neighbors than do Mormons.
In a recent article in the Church News, Daniel Cox, the survey center’s director and founder, gave some additional insights on what the study found out about Latter-day Saints. Here are a few highlights from the article:
- 90 percent of Latter-day Saints say they have not just acquaintances but very close friends within their faith community.
“What we see in the survey is that Latter-day Saints demonstrate a remarkable degree of social cohesion,” said Cox. - More than half of Latter-day Saints spend time with other Church members outside of Sunday meetings at least weekly.
According to Cox, “You don’t actually see that to this degree across a lot of other religious traditions, so that’s remarkable.” - Latter-day Saints tend to live closer to their place of worship, and a third of members can even walk to their local meetinghouse.
“Again, that’s much more than any other religious tradition,” Cox says.
To find out more about what the Church reveals about Latter-day Saints, including their level of confidence that they know their neighbors’ political leanings, read the full Church News article.
