Tobin Grant
@TobinGrant blogs for Religion News Service at Corner of Church and State, a data-driven conversation on religion and politics. He is a political science professor at Southern Illinois University and associate editor of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.
All Stories by Tobin Grant
Politics of American churches and religions in one graph: update with 2014 Pew study
By Tobin Grant — November 4, 2015
A new picture of American religion and politics emerges from 2014 Pew Religious Landscape Survey.
Why Pew’s latest religion survey is a gold mine (that you can mine yourself)
By Tobin Grant — November 3, 2015
The gold in the Pew Religious Landscape survey is the data yet to be mined.
Invigorating Jewish life: Is the “Statement on Jewish Vitality” the right approach?
By Tobin Grant — October 27, 2015
A new statement by Jewish leaders rekindles the debate over the future of American Jewish life.
#SSSR15 brings together researchers studying religion scientifically
By Tobin Grant — October 21, 2015
Religion isn't a science, but we can use science to better understand religion.
Evangelicals on death penalty: Like other faiths, opposition highest among most religious
By Tobin Grant — October 20, 2015
On the death penalty, the more religious a person is, the more likely he or she is to oppose capital punishment.
Why religious freedom trumped national security in latest court case
By Tobin Grant — October 15, 2015
Court rules that a government surveillance program violated the religious rights of Muslims
Survey: Americans SAY gun control is important, but do they mean it?
By Tobin Grant — October 9, 2015
What people tell an interviewer about gun control is different than how they answer a web survey.
Do pro-lifers oppose gun control? Trevor Noah is only half-right
By Tobin Grant — October 8, 2015
Comedy simplifies reality. In this case, it over-simplified it.
Graph: Are Catholics in Congress left, right or center?
By Tobin Grant — September 25, 2015
What do moderates in the Senate have in common? They're Catholic.
How 150,000 people join Catholic Church each year
By Tobin Grant — September 23, 2015
Millions of Americans have joined the Catholic Church through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults or RCIA.
Which Republican is gaining among born-again Christians? The puzzle of small polls
By Tobin Grant — September 22, 2015
Poll numbers should come with warning labels: "Percentages may cause false sense of certainty"
Why Ben Carson believes in his mother
By Tobin Grant — September 17, 2015
The CNN debate was another opportunity for Ben Carson to praise his mom. Listen to his 2005 NPR "This I Believe" essay to understand why.
Iowa poll: Born-again Republicans less angry, less distrustful than Tea Party
By Tobin Grant — September 16, 2015
The Tea Party and the born-again base of the GOP are a lot alike. But they're not the same.
How Congressional votes on Iran Deal looked to statisticians
By Tobin Grant — September 14, 2015
Votes on the Iran Deal weren't that different from the hundreds of others Congress took this year.
College freshmen don’t remember 9-11
By Tobin Grant — September 11, 2015
How can they remember something that happened when they were four years old?
