The Portraits of American Life Study (abbreviated PALS, originally known as the Panel Study of American Religion and Ethnicity) is a

panel study A longitudinal study (or longitudinal survey, or panel study) is a research design that involves repeated observations of the same variables (e.g., people) over short or long periods of time (i.e., uses longitudinal data). It is often a type of obs ...

focusing on religion in the United States, particularly as it relates to racial and ethnic diversity. The study's first wave of data collection took place in 2006, and surveyed 2,610 people. In 2008, the researchers attempted re-contact with the 522 original respondents who attended religious services several times per year despite not being a member of a religious congregation. The original 2006 study was led by sociologists Michael Emerson of

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...

and David Sikkink of the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

. In 2012, the researchers surveyed exactly the same people they originally surveyed six years earlier. The 2012 survey showed that a significantly higher percent of Americans (58%) respected all religions equally than did in the original 2006 survey (one-third). In 2016,

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

sociologist Samuel Perry analyzed data from the PALS and found that people who watch

pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

at least once a week are more likely to be religious six years later. A 2013

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , pro ...

analysis of the PALS found that people who consider religion important in their lives are more likely to make decisions based on their religion.

References

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External links

Portraits of American Life Study page
on the

Association of Religion Data Archives The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) is a free source of online information related to American and international religion. One of the primary goals of the archive is to democratize access to academic information on religion by making th ...

' website Cohort studies Surveys (human research)