Survey

By: The Gallup Organization

Date: 1981 Source: Religion in America, 1981. Princeton, N.J.: The Gallup Organization & The Princeton Religion Research Center, 1981.

About the Organization: George Gallup (1901–1984) was born in Jefferson, Iowa, and he died in Switzerland at eighty-two. Trained as a journalist, he earned his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa in 1928. His dissertation, "A New Technique for Objective Methods for Measuring Reader Interest in Newspapers," laid the foundation for his future career as a professional pollster and public opinion statistician. In 1935, he founded the American Institute of Public Opinion.

Introduction

Between 1860 and 1960, the United States could be described as a predominately Protestant country, with the odd twist that its largest single denomination was Roman Catholic. The religious map was a patchwork of groups...