Many of us are persuaded that religion is not merely one element among many in life but is central to one’s entire being. Social and political scientists have explored the implications of this for partisan loyalties, among other things. But could one’s ecclesial commitments influence the more mundane side of life? For example, take a look at this map:
. . . and then look at this map:
I won’t pretend to isolate the causal connection, but it certainly appears that what Southern Baptists call coke, Lutherans and Methodists call pop and Catholics call soda. I offer this puzzling phenomenon to the graduate student in the social sciences casting about for a dissertation topic.
December 8th, 2011 | 9:16 am | #1
[...] Demographics. [...]
December 8th, 2011 | 1:26 pm | #2
At the risk of being a bit pedantic, that religious map is based on which group has the bare plurality in a county. It’s pretty hard to think of most of Pennsylvania, New York, and New England (outside the cities) as being “Catholic” places. The reality is that there are more Catholics than any other one thing, but the Lutherans, Methodists, Reformed, Episcopalians, and others have divided up the majority of the population between them.
I mean, New York City and Long Island a Catholic bastion? Seriously?
December 9th, 2011 | 6:49 pm | #3
Coke is a brand name. They should sue!
December 13th, 2011 | 3:10 pm | #4
Pentamom have you ever visited the NY area; I grew up in Westchester and was an adult before ever KNOWINGLY meeting a white Protestant. My world was one where most people are Catholics, some are Jews. Protestants are exotic creatures who live in the deep South and handle snakes (or are Black).
Catholics make up 52% of the population of Nassau and Suffolk, with Jews at 16%
Catholics make up 72% of the population of Westchester County, mailine Protestants 9%
Catholics make up 78% of the population of the Bronx
Catholics make up 60% of the population of Queens
For Staten Island In terms of religion, the population is largely Roman Catholic. There is a growing presence of Egyptian Copts
For Brooklyn :
Catholic: 58.8%; Jewish: 24.4%; Protestant: 12% ; Muslim: 3.73%
On the other hand of Manhattan alone doesnot have a Catholic Majority, the largest religious affiliation in Manhattan is the Roman Catholic Church, whose adherents constitute 564,505 persons (more than 36% of the population) Jewish-Americans comprise the second largest religious group, with 314,500 persons (around 20.5%),Other large denominations include Protestants (139,732 adherents) and Muslims (37,078).
December 13th, 2011 | 3:50 pm | #5
Sorry; not to beat a dead horse; but since i found City-Data.com and because you spoke of New England outside the big cities, I chose the city in Mass. furthest from Boston I could get: Pittsfield in the NW extreme of the State: 77% Catholic: 15% Mainline Protestant
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