Patricia Snell Herzog | Indiana University Indianapolis (original) (raw)

Books (Peer-Reviewed) by Patricia Snell Herzog

American Generosity answers the what, how much, who, where, and why questions of generous activit... more American Generosity answers the what, how much, who, where, and why questions of generous activities. This book takes an interdisciplinary approach that defines generosity as expressed through multiple forms of giving. The focus is on three primary forms of giving: donating money, volunteering time, and taking political action. Also explored are participation in giving blood, bodily organs, material possessions, relational attention, and participating in environmental sustainability. All findings are based on data from the Science of Generosity Initiative, combining a nationally representative survey of adult Americans with in-depth interviews and ethnographies of a subsample of survey respondents. From the interviews case studies were selected to narratively illustrate core themes. The analyses examine multiple dimensions of resources, social status characteristics, regional cultural norms, different approaches to giving processes, social psychological orientations, and relational contexts of generosity. The conclusion presents a theoretical model of resource-, norm-, and identity-supported “circles of generosity,” which ripple outward in their reach to different targets of giving. Practical implications include tips for readers who are interested in increasing their giving, parents modeling giving to children, spouses desiring giving alignment, and friends and community members wanting to support other people’s giving. Also offered are fundraising ideas for nonprofit, foundation, and religious leaders, as well as scholars of generosity.

Chapter 3 –Types of American Givers: Variations in Approaches to Giving The how question of American generosity is investigated in chapter 3. An innovative analytical method, called fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, is used to construct Weberian-inspired ideal types along with an atypical group that does not fit into one of these types. The types show how processes of giving group together into discernible combinations regarding the degree to which giving is routine or spontaneous, consciously decided or “just happens,” predetermined or situationally-dependent. Four types of givers are found: Planned, Habitual, Selective, and Impulsive, plus non-discernable-pattern givers labeled as Atypical. The approach represents a combination of Bourdieu-inspired habitus, Freud-inspired consciousness, cognitive theory–inspired behavioral regulation, and through focus on actualization of giving behaviors rather than only intentions to be generous. Particular attention is given to the importance of income, education, and religion in differing approaches to generosity behaviors.

This anthology explores what it means to be a twenty-something in contemporary society. The readi... more This anthology explores what it means to be a twenty-something in contemporary society. The readings examine the relatively newly acknowledged stage of life known as emerging adulthood through a sociological lens, which enables student-readers to understand their personal challenges within the context of public issues. An interdisciplinary text, the book begins by addressing the life course itself as well as the life stage of emerging adulthood. The subsequent readings draw from diverse disciplines to explore issues such as delinquency and criminal activity, schooling and higher education, family formations, romantic partnerships, social change, and civic engagement. Taken together, the readings in The Sociology of Emerging Adulthood: Studying Youth in the Context of Public Issues provide a quality sociological analysis of the overall life course and the place of today's young people within it. The anthology can be used in general sociology courses, those addressing family issues, or classes on psychology and human development.

With the protraction of higher education, delays in marriage and childbearing, and extended finan... more With the protraction of higher education, delays in marriage and childbearing, and extended financial support from parents, emerging adults (or EAs, ages 18–23) enjoy unprecedented freedoms. What does that mean for their spiritual formation? Smith, a veteran sociologist of religion, and Snell, of the Center for the Study of Religion and Society at Notre Dame, draw on statistical samples and more than 200 in-depth interviews to craft a compelling portrait of college-age Americans. This generation, steeped in religious pluralism, gets high marks for inclusivity and diversity awareness but has troubling consumerist tendencies, consistently prioritizing material wealth and devaluing altruism. Not surprisingly, EAs are less religious than older adults and than they themselves were as teenagers—which comes home especially poignantly in a chapter of follow-up profiles on some of the interview subjects from Smith's 2005 book on teen spirituality, Soul Searching. Surprisingly, however, EAs are not significantly less religious than emerging adults of prior generations. Although the book is heavy on survey data, tables and sociological typology, it's well-organized and seasoned with enough memorable interviews that lay readers will value it as much as specialists. (Publishers Weekly)

Life for emerging adults is vastly different today than it was for their counterparts even a gene... more Life for emerging adults is vastly different today than it was for their counterparts even a generation ago. Young people are waiting longer to marry, to have children, and to choose a career direction. As a result, they enjoy more freedom, opportunities, and personal growth than ever before. But the transition to adulthood is also more complex, disjointed, and confusing. In Lost in Transition, Christian Smith and his collaborators draw on 230 in-depth interviews with a broad cross-section of emerging adults (ages 18-23) to investigate the difficulties young people face today, the underlying causes of those difficulties, and the consequences both for individuals and for American society as a whole. Rampant consumer capitalism, ongoing failures in education, hyper-individualism, postmodernist moral relativism, and other aspects of American culture are all contributing to the chaotic terrain that emerging adults must cross. Smith identifies five major problems facing very many young people today: confused moral reasoning, routine intoxication, materialistic life goals, regrettable sexual experiences, and disengagement from civic and political life. The trouble does not lie only with the emerging adults or their poor individual decisions but has much deeper roots in mainstream American culture--a culture which emerging adults have largely inherited rather than created. Older adults, Smith argues, must recognize that much of the responsibility for the pain and confusion young people face lies with them. Rejecting both sky-is-falling alarmism on the one hand and complacent disregard on the other, Smith suggests the need for what he calls "realistic concern"--and a reconsideration of our cultural priorities and practices--that will help emerging adults more skillfully engage unique challenges they face. Even-handed, engagingly written, and based on comprehensive research, Lost in Transition brings much needed attention to the darker side of the transition to adulthood.

Passing the Plate shows that few American Christians donate generously to religious and charitabl... more Passing the Plate shows that few American Christians donate generously to religious and charitable causes. This eye-opening book explores the reasons behind such ungenerous giving, the potential world-changing benefits of greater financial giving, and what can be done to improve matters. By illuminating the social and psychological forces that shape charitable giving, Passing the Plate is sure to spark a much-needed debate on a critical issue.

Articles & Chapters (Peer-Reviewed) by Patricia Snell Herzog

American Behavioral Scientist, 2019

Does interacting with social science data in early adulthood promote generosity? To investigate t... more Does interacting with social science data in early adulthood promote generosity? To investigate this question from a life course development perspective, two distinct samples were drawn for a survey with an embedded experimental design. The first sample is of emerging adult college students (n = 30, median age = 20 years). The second sample is of young adults who were selected to participate based on their prior participation in a nationally representative and longitudinal study (n = 170, median age = 31 years). Toward the end of the survey, participants were randomly selected into a website interaction with either: (a) data on charitable giving, (b) data on social inequality, or (c) data about weather (a control condition). The key outcome of interest is a behavioral measure of generosity: whether participants elected to keep their study incentive or donate their incentive to a charitable organization. The donation decision occurred after the randomly selected website interaction. Interacting with charitable giving data resulted in greater generosity than interacting with weather data, across both samples. Interacting with social inequality data had mixed results. Moreover, emerging adult college students gave at a considerably higher rate overall than the national sample of young adults, net of treatment type. Implications are discussed.

American Behavioral Scientist, 2019

This special issue addresses the science and imagination of living generously. Generosity is inve... more This special issue addresses the science and imagination of living generously. Generosity is investigated from multiple disciplinary approaches, across the seven articles included in the issue. The first article engages an economic approach to address heterogeneity and generosity for adult Americans, analyzing charitable giving before and after the great recession of 2008. The second article engages a psychological approach to investigate later life-course generosity by studying mortality salience-concerns over the end of life-and age effects on charitable donations. The third article engages sociological and management approaches to study how social science data impacts generosity, by investigating an interaction with data analytics during the life-course stages of emerging and young adulthood. The fourth article engages a psychological approach to examine earlier life-course dynamics, by studying whether and under what conditions children exhibit generosity of affection towards religious out-groups. The fifth article engages a psychological approach to investigate generosity, religion, and moral foundations for adults. The sixth article engages an economics approach to probe millennial generosity, challenging popular notions of greater selfishness in younger generations. The seventh article engages an educational approach to theorize connections between global and local ecological generosity in children's stories, finding that creating stories together can be a tool to foster intergenerational transmission of care for the environment. Cumulatively, these seven articles contribute new knowledge on generosity throughout complex and important life-course dynamics. Our goal in this special issue is to enhance interdisciplinary attention to the study of generosity. The included studies integrate research from the disciplinary approaches that are typical of psychology, economics, management, sociology, and education. Accumulating insights across these studies allows readers to better understand an interdisciplinary and integrated approach to generosity. Across the articles included in this issue, the researchers emphasize life course development and the role of age and life experiences in evolving generosity over time. The studies also contribute insights regarding how people respond (or do not respond) to new stimuli and interventions that disrupt normal giving processes.

Wiley-Blackwell, 2019

Social scientists since the original Chicago School researchers find that neighborhoods and other... more Social scientists since the original Chicago School researchers find that neighborhoods and other geographic areas exert effects on residents, while people live in those areas and even long afterward. The context effects are net of the individuals composing them, meaning there are cumulative effects that cannot be explained by individual-level characteristics alone. Another way of describing this is to state that the sum is greater than its parts: neighborhoods and other geographic areas, such as counties, states, and nations, combine social resources in ways that can influence the kind of lives that people living in those areas have over time. Contextual effects have a long history in sociological studies, dating back at least to the early Chicago School, and have effects on several types of social outcomes, including: economic, educational and developmental, health and psychological wellbeing, crime and delinquency, and community involvement. Future directions of contextual effects research will account for the objective and structural features of geographic areas, in conjunction with the subjective and perceptual aspects. Introduction Contextual effects are spatially bound social resources that culminate in more or less advantaged geographic areas. As a type of social problem, disadvantages embedded in contexts bundle into multiple forms of deprivations that continue to affect people in later life course stages, even after moving out of high poverty areas. Contextual effects are typically studied at the neighborhood level, such as Census tracts, and also at the metropolitan, county, state, and national levels. Particularly problematic is the pensiveness of the outcomes affected by contextual disadvantages.

Wiley-Blackwell, 2019

A social fact consists of collective thoughts and shared expectations that influence individual a... more A social fact consists of collective thoughts and shared expectations that influence individual actions. Examples of social facts include social roles, norms, laws, values, rituals, and customs. Violating social facts confirms their existence because people who act against social facts are typically sanctioned. Sociology is one of the primary disciplines in which social facts are studied. of education; sociology of family; sociology of health and illness; sociology of knowledge; sociology of organizations; sociology of religion; sociology of work and occupations Introduction A social fact is an idea, force, or "thing" that influences the ways individuals act and the kinds of attitudes people hold. As a social subject, these facts are not particular to a single individual but are rather "supra-individual," meaning they are held in the minds of multiple people and culminate in the "collective conscience." Émile Durkheim (1938[1895]) is credited with coining the term social fact, and he defines the term by saying:

Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion, 2018

This study integrates developmental and cultural approaches to student development and finds that... more This study integrates developmental and cultural approaches to student development and finds that millennial college students are responsive to moral formation. A particular challenge to prosociality among contemporary generations is growing up within a cultural context that aggrandizes a self-focus during emerging adulthood. Businesses are increasingly integrating spirituality at work, in part because of the benefits religiosity has in developing prosocial behaviors. However, businesses and universities can have concerns about explicitly engaging religiosity. We thus study a pedagogical approach that engages religiosity to investigate whether this promotes prosocial moral values. Employing a mixed-methods design, we analyze quantitative and qualitative changes in students completing a management education course with this pedagogical approach and compare their changes over time to a control group completing conventional ethics courses during the same time period. Findings indicate that prosocial development is possible during college and that explicit attention to diverse religious views aids moral development.

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 2018

This study examines social networks and financial giving to charitable or religious causes. Conve... more This study examines social networks and financial giving to charitable or religious causes. Conventional social capital measures of general social trust and size of social network are studied as predictors of charitable giving. To these traditional measures, we add an examination of particular network aspects of giving: ego giving in relation to network alters who give, solicitations to give by network ties, and ego soliciting alters to give. In addition, the study disaggregates alter effects by alter position. Findings indicate that, net of social trust, social network factors significantly predict likelihood of being a giver. In particular, findings are that egos are especially likely to be donors when their primary alter donates. Three configurations of ego–alter giving and solicitations are significant predictors of ego giving, indicating that ego–alter doing matters more than asking. Theoretical contributions for relational and prosocial studies are discussed, as are practical implications for fundraising professionals.

The SAGE Encyclopedia of Lifespan Human Development, 2018

Philanthropy is a practice of donating to foundations or nonprofit organizations for the purposes... more Philanthropy is a practice of donating to foundations or nonprofit organizations for the purposes of bettering the collective good. Because philanthropic gifts often come in the form of monetary donations and are typically given to support charitable causes, philanthropy can be thought of as synonymous with charitable giving. However, these terms often have different connotations in their colloquial usages. This entry outlines the history of philanthropy, its participation rates, and its impact of philanthropy on individuals. Also covered are changes to philanthropy as the life course extends and millennials become donors.

Religions, 2018

This paper challenges the " spiritual but not religious " (SBNR) category as a methodological art... more This paper challenges the " spiritual but not religious " (SBNR) category as a methodological artifact caused by interacting two closed-ended survey items into binary combinations. Employing a theoretically rich approach, this study maps the multiple ways in which the religious and the spiritual combine for emerging adults. Results indicate that most emerging adults have a tacit sense of morality, displaying limited cognitive access to how moral reasoning relates to religious and spiritual orientations. This longitudinal study investigates efforts to raise moral awareness through: exposure to diverse religious and spiritual orientations, personal reflection, and collective discussion. Relative to control groups, emerging adults in this study display increases in moral awareness. We combine the results of these studies to formulate a theoretical framework for the ways in which beliefs, values, and ethical decision-making connect in expressing plural combinations of religiosity and spirituality. The implication is that direct attention to religiosity and spirituality — not avoidance of — appears to facilitate ethical decision-making.

Political engagement among U.S. emerging adults aged 18 to 24 was examined via quantitative and q... more Political engagement among U.S. emerging adults aged 18 to 24 was examined via quantitative and qualitative data. The data analyzed are from the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR). The NSYR consists of three waves of a nationally representative (a) telephone survey (Wave 1 n = 4,161), (b) in-person interviews (Wave 3 n = 230) collected with adolescents and emerging adults, and (c) in the first wave, their parents (n = 3,235). Third-wave interview transcripts are examined for descriptions of political engagement. Findings indicate that emerging adults are generally politically disengaged. Political engagement is disaggregated into six types based on levels of and motivations for political engagement. A number of hypotheses are examined for explanations of political involvement variance. Voluntary association participation, religious practices, political affiliation, and parental political engagement are found to be insufficient explanations. Results indicate that individualized moral beliefs are a significant predictor of political engagement, especially certain types of disengagement.

Researchers consistently find that educational and familial settings unintentionally reproduce so... more Researchers consistently find that educational and familial settings unintentionally reproduce socioeconomic status (SES) via distinct socialization patterns in their community contexts. Yet there are surprisingly few studies examining this pattern as related to religious settings. This study extends the social reproduction literature by examining intended socialization of religious-based youth programs across SES of the areas in which religious congregations are located. Data analyzed are from the Northern Indiana Congregation Study, a high-response-rate phone survey with all religious congregations located within three contiguous cities, combined with U.S. Census data for the postal code of the congregation location, and in-person interviews with stratified-quota-sampled religious youth leaders. This analysis provides evidence for a spatially stratified pattern to religious youth socialization. Findings reveal how deeply socioeconomic reproduction permeates social life, including even the youth socialization practices of religious congregations, and indicates that low-income youth may be particularly disadvantaged in their available religious socialization.

Sociology of Religion, Jan 1, 2011

Though many congregations structure youth ministry programs to foster desired religious and socia... more Though many congregations structure youth ministry programs to foster desired religious and social outcomes, questions remain regarding whether participation in religious-based youth programs is beneficial for the youth involved. Studies show that religion typically results in positive life outcomes for youth, but less is known about the causal mechanisms through which religion makes a difference in their lives. Data analyzed are from two waves of the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR). This article examines the effect of youth participation on adult support, church connections, and moral values. A multivariate analysis with lagged dependent variables indicates some effects of youth group participation as well as self-selection processes.

This is a book about young people—youth and emerging adults. The contributors in this volume inve... more This is a book about young people—youth and emerging adults. The contributors in this volume investigate the religious and spiritual lives of young people, especially as they relate to inclinations to do good for others. People are increasingly interested in, concerned about, and excited for the generational changes occurring to faith and giving, as young people become adults. Emerging adulthood and the millennial generation receive considerable scholarly and public press attention. Prior generations wonder: What will happen to the future of faith and giving, and how can we help the new generation emerge into adult leaders? Younger generations wonder: How can we reshape the future of faith and giving, and how can existing religious and civic organizations respond to younger generations?

This edited volume is the result of a special issue that invited social scientific insights on responses to these questions. The background for this volume, summarized below, is the evolving life course developmental processes, as well as the culmination of numerous social and cultural changes in recent decades and their implications for socialization of religiosity, spirituality, and generosity. The included chapters focus on the faith and giving of youth and emerging adults, in the United States and internationally. The emphasis is on research that contributes breadth to social scientific understandings of religion, charitable giving, volunteering, generosity, youth, and emerging adults. We are especially interested in trends related to participation in religious and civic organizations, including changing cultural structures, beliefs, and orientations to faith and giving in less formal or non-organizational contexts.

The study evaluates a pilot course designed to respond to findings from the National Study of You... more The study evaluates a pilot course designed to respond to findings from the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) and similar findings reporting changes in U.S. life course development and religious participation through an intervention based on sociological theories of morality. The purpose of the study is to investigate the impacts of a business course in a public university designed to prepare emerging adults for culturally and religiously diverse workplaces. The intended outcomes are for students to better identify their personal moral values, while also gaining cultural awareness of the moral values in six different value systems: five major world religions and secular humanism. The study response rate was 97 percent (n = 109). Pre-and post-test survey data analyze changes in the reports of students enrolled in the course (primary group) compared to students in similar courses but without an emphasis on morality (controls). Qualitative data include survey short answer questions, personal mission statements, and student essays describing course impacts. Quantitative and qualitative results indicate reported increases in identification of personal moral values and cultural awareness of other moral values, providing initial evidence that the course helps prepare emerging adults for multi-faith workplaces.

Émile Durkheim is often thought of, at least within many North American interpretations, as close... more Émile Durkheim is often thought of, at least within many North American interpretations, as closely associated with 'variables sociology,' a tradition commonly understood to be in opposition to the Chicago school of sociology, which is commonly thought of as more qualitatively focused. Upon closer examination, it is apparent that Durkheim and the Chicago school share a great deal more points of connection than are commonly acknowledged. These similarities have been blurred due to (1) a lack of distinction between the later, qualitatively focused Chicago school of sociology researchers with the more quantitatively-based work of the original school and (2) a pervasive misunderstanding of what Durkheim meant by treating a 'social fact' as a thing. A more accurate account reveals that the two research traditions are both heavily empirical, pragmatic, contextually based approaches to studying non-individualized, collective behavior. These points of convergence show that the Chicago school of sociology, and American sociology in general, constructed many of the same solutions to similar theoretical problems as did Durkheim. If a science of societies exists, one must certainly not expect it to consist of a mere paraphrase of traditional prejudices. It should rather cause us to see things in a different way from the ordinary man, for the purpose of any science is to make discoveries, and all such discoveries more or less upset accepted opinions.

American Behavioral Scientist, 2019

Wiley-Blackwell, 2019

Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion, 2018

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 2018

The SAGE Encyclopedia of Lifespan Human Development, 2018

Religions, 2018

Sociology of Religion, Jan 1, 2011

“The boundary is not a spatial fact with sociological consequences, but a sociological fact that ... more “The boundary is not a spatial fact with sociological consequences, but a sociological fact that forms itself spatially” (Simmel 1903: 143).

What is sociological about spatial context? This is a question which the original founders of sociology attempted to answer in multiple ways and which many prominent social thinkers continue to ponder. However, much of contemporary sociological empirical work is either implicitly aspatial or lacks adequate attention to the spatial patterning present in the data.

This in-depth case study investigates the religious, ethnic, and social conflicts that exist betw... more This in-depth case study investigates the religious, ethnic, and social conflicts that exist between two groups co-located in the same congregation. A diocesan cost-based merger brought together two religio-ethnic communities that were formerly housed in separate parishes. One group already had their congregation in the existing building and is mostly composed of aging Polish immigrants. The second group had been in a building across town that was closed and moved, and its congregants are mostly younger, Spanish-speaking, Latino immigrants, predominantly from México. The merger appears to have been unsuccessful, and the two groups remain divided, functioning as two congregations within the same building. Analyses focus on first demonstrating the intense group-to-group conflict and then explaining it through their respective interpretations. The two groups evidence distinct demographic, social class, values, norms, and traditions that inform their group-to-group conflict in shared community. The case illuminates larger issues of religio-ethnic conflict and provides rich data on the perceptions and stereotypes each group has of the other. Findings indicate twin tensions of community, with in-group solidarity experienced more intensely as each group expresses their out-group divisions, conflict, and hostilities. As the Impossible Triangle sculpture visualizes (Bess et al. 2002), this case highlights the ways in which community encloses those within its boundaries while leaving those outside its boundaries confused about socially acceptable norms. Theoretically, the case contributes to understandings of community and conflict generally, as well as the ways cultural and religious historical memories influence present-day interpretations.

This paper investigates the research question: How do religious youth learn to give?While it is l... more This paper investigates the research question: How do religious youth learn to give?While it is likely that youth learn religious ﬁnancial giving from a variety of different sources, this investigation focuses primarily on how parents teach giving to their children. Supplementary data are also analyzed on the frequency in which youth hear extra-familial calls to give within their religious congregations. In focusing on parental transmission, the analysis identiﬁes a number of approaches that parents report using to teach their children religious ﬁnancial giving. It also investigates thoughts and feelings about religious ﬁnancial giving by the children of these parents as a means of assessing the potential impacts of parental methods. Additionally, congregation member reﬂections on how they learned to give provide insights on giving as a process that develops across the life course, often instilled in childhood, but not appearing behaviorally until adulthood. As such, this paper contributes to a life course understanding of religious giving and has implications for giving across generations.

This paper extends previous findings on religion and generosity by developing and assessing a con... more This paper extends previous findings on religion and generosity by developing and assessing a con- ceptual typology of potential motivations for and obstacles to religious giving. Specifically, we examine “socialized giving,” “need giving,” “normative giving,” and “guilt giving” as potential motivators, and “wealth insecurity,” “giving illiteracy,” and “comfortable guilt” as potential obstacles. To investigate these mechanisms, we then combine behavioral and observational data, linking ethnographic and interview data with church-reported financial giving behavior. Data ana- lyzed are from the Northern Indiana Congregation Study. Based on church-reported giving levels, interview respondents are grouped into high- and low-giving categories, and responses are analyzed for stated motivations for and obstacles to religious giving. Findings reveal how complicated it is to ascertain mechanisms driving or inhibiting people’s religious giving, and highlight the need to be wary of relying exclusively on self-reported giving data. The conceptual typology presented here can be developed further in future studies that investigate the prevalence and origins of these types. Understanding such processes underlying religious giving becomes particularly relevant in light of the recent economic recession.

Religious congregations are hypothesized to be a community organization affected by contextual in... more Religious congregations are hypothesized to be a community organization affected by contextual inequalities. Survey and interview data are analyzed to investigate the type and prevalence of youth programming in a geographic area. Rather than drawing a sample of religious congregations in the area, the telephone survey was conducted with every congregation located in the three contiguous cities. Coupled with the

People are increasingly interested in, concerned about, and excited for the generational changes ... more People are increasingly interested in, concerned about, and excited for the generational changes occurring to faith and giving as young people become adults. Emerging adulthood and the Millennial generation have received considerable scholarly and public press attention. Prior generations wonder: What will happen to the future of faith and giving, and how can we help the new generation emerge as adult leaders? Younger generations wonder: How can we reshape the future of faith and giving, and how can existing religious and civic organizations respond to younger generations?

This Special Issue includes social scientific insights on responses to these questions. We provide a variety of angles on the faith and giving of youth and emerging adults, in the United States and internationally. The emphasis is on research that contributes generally to social scientific understandings of religion, charitable giving, volunteering, generosity, youth, and emerging adults. We were especially interested in trends related to participation in religious and civic organizations, including changing cultural structures, beliefs, and orientations to faith and giving in less formal or non-organizational contexts.

The religious lives of young adults have generally been investigated by examining what young peop... more The religious lives of young adults have generally been investigated by examining what young people believe and their self-reported religious practices. Far less is known about young adults’ organizational involvement and its impact on religious identities and ideas about religious commitment. Using data from site visit observations of religious congregations and organizations, and individual and focus group interviews with college-age black and white Christians, we find differences in how black and white students talk about their religious involvement; and with how they are incorporated into the lives of their congregations. White students tended to offer “organizational biographies” chronicling the contours of belonging as well as disengagement, and emphasizing the importance of fulfilling personal needs as a criterion for maintaining involvement. On the other hand, black students used “family” and “home” language and metaphors to describe how their religious involvement, a voluntary choice, was tied to a sense of “calling” and community. We show that this variation is aligned with organizational differences in black and white congregations that situate white youth as separate and black youth as integrated into the larger church community.

Prior research suggests that religiosity, especially public religious participation, is related t... more Prior research suggests that religiosity, especially public religious participation, is related to greater volunteerism. However, less is known about religious transmission across the life course, in particular whether and how religiosity in childhood is linked to later life volunteerism. This study investigates a sample of emerging adults in South Texas (n = 701) with a high percent of Hispanic Americans (53 percent). Specifically, we examine pathways of childhood and emerging adulthood religiosity leading to secular volunteerism. Findings indicate that both childhood and emerging adulthood religiosity are associated with greater volunteerism, but the effects of childhood religiosity on emerging adulthood volunteerism are mediated through emerging adulthood religiosity. These findings provide further confirmation of the importance of childhood religiosity only insofar as religiousness persists into adulthood. In other words, we find that it is emerging adulthood religiosity that transmits childhood religiosity into greater secular volunteerism in later life. Furthermore, emerging adulthood public religiosity has the most robust direct effects on volunteerism.

Previous research demonstrates an association between religiousness, spirituality, and generosity... more Previous research demonstrates an association between religiousness, spirituality, and generosity in adolescents, but few studies have tested the mechanisms by which religion might facilitate the development of generosity in real-world contexts. In this paper, a theoretical model is presented describing the potential mechanisms by which engagement in transformational contexts (i.e., participating in charity marathon training) may lead to the development of generosity in adolescents. Participation in charity sporting events is theorized to increase generosity through both higher-order mechanisms, such as sanctification and the development of transcendent identity, and lower-order mechanisms, such as increased entitativity, positive emotions, and dissonance reduction. An empirical strategy for testing the model is presented; suggested methods for inquiry are longitudinal mixed method designs incorporating observations, questionnaires, and qualitative interviewing. Additionally, a case study of ongoing research on adolescents running with Team World Vision is described as an application of the model to an actual research context.

This study finds that a weak institutional infrastructure of youth and young adult (YYA) ministry... more This study finds that a weak institutional infrastructure of youth and young adult (YYA) ministry exists in the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit (AOD). This helps to explain why there is a disconnect between the Archdiocese proclaiming YYA ministry as a top priority since 1995 and youth ministers self-reporting that they feel like second-class citizens. Moreover, this disconnect is occurring in an increasingly social context in which the current generations of young Catholics are participating less in their faith than previous generations. Interviews with 44 youth ministers and 12 pastors reveal details of this disconnect between archdiocesan policy which states YYA ministry is a top priority and the practices of the archdiocese which indicate otherwise. Youth ministers are marginalized workers who feel insecure about their employment, causing many to obtain second jobs or routinely search for better employment. The sociology of organization literature, particularly the concepts of decoupling and social status are discussed to help explain this disconnect. Data are interpreted and the conclusions made that ecclesial officials take youth ministry for granted and that a weak institutional infrastructure of youth ministry continues in the AOD.

Atheism is the mainstream belief system in contemporary China. In recent years, a growing number ... more Atheism is the mainstream belief system in contemporary China. In recent years, a growing number of Chinese have converted to different religions, particularly Christianity. In this study, we conducted a survey in the region of Xi’an to investigate the following three questions: How common is Christianity among college students in Xi’an? How many of them have converted to the Christian faith? How do they gain their knowledge of Christianity? It is a popular notion in China that many college students have, in recent times, converted to Christianity. However, our survey results do not provide support for this. While many students encounter Christian faith on university campuses, especially through organizations such as The Fellowship, students in this survey report low religious affiliation.

PBS News Hour, 2019

In a world where convenience is king, app developers and charitable organizations have been teami... more In a world where convenience is king, app developers and charitable organizations have been teaming up to make donating as easy as possible. Some apps are even making giving into a kind of game in an effort to solicit more donations. By making giving simple and fun, nonprofits hope to catch the attention of millennials, who regularly use their smartphones to spend money. With a tap of a finger and just 50 cents, donors can feed a child through ShareTheMeal, an app funded by the World Food Programme that aims to tackle world hunger. Users have the choice to donate more than 50 cents and can join "the table," a monthly giving community that allows users to receive updates from families who benefit from their donations. The World Food Programme reports that people are donating an average of seven dollars via the app. ShareTheMeal has set a goal of reaching 60 million meals shared by mid-December, equating to $25 million in the four years since it was launched. "Nearly 75 percent of our users are millennials," said Camaley Jennings, the marketing manager for ShareTheMeal. "The millennials are who we're targeting and who we've seen most positive feedback with thus far with the product." Research on how millennials donate using apps is sparse, but anecdotal evidence suggests they are more likely to use an app to donate to a charity because "it's appealing, quick, usually only involves small amounts of money and activity is easily shareable with friends and family," said Daniel Borochoff, president of CharityWatch, a nonprofit organization that rates and evaluates charities. While, older adults are likely to have already-established giving routines, millennials, who are now in their prime working age, are ripe for attracting nonprofits' attention. On the other hand, millennials, many of whom entered the workforce during the Great Recession, earn less money than previous generations, so apps that offer a chance to donate while sticking to a tighter budget can also be appealing.

New York Times, 2019

Charitable giving involves a complex array of motivations. Some people give because of tax incent... more Charitable giving involves a complex array of motivations. Some people give because of tax incentives. A second motive also has to do with economics: Many people feel they simply can't afford to give. Their willingness to give also depends on whether they view charitable organizations as honest and efficient. People can also give simply because they want to make the world a better place. In my research, I've discovered that the most compelling reasons for people to give are social and relational benefits beyond the self. We can motivate ourselves to give throughout our lives, in whatever ways one can, be surrounding ourselves in giving-supportive contexts. We also need to be that giving-supportive context for others.

by Will Mari, Christianity Today, Science section, November 30.

Americans like to think of themselves as a generous people. Two-thirds of Americans agree that i... more Americans like to think of themselves as a generous people.

Two-thirds of Americans agree that it is very important for them to be a generous person, according to the Science of Generosity survey.

Another quarter of Americans were neutral; just 10 percent disagreed that generosity was not a very important quality.

But the truth appears much different.

Forty-five percent of Americans, including nearly four in 10 who said a generous self-identity was important to them, actually gave no money to charity in the past year, the same survey found.

Less than a quarter of Americans gave more than $500.

What we end up with is a nation where a relatively few people give freely and abundantly, while most of us give little or nothing, Patricia Snell Herzog and Heather E. Price report in their new book, “American Generosity: Who Gives and Why.”

The two researchers, co-investigators with the Science of Generosity Initiative at the University of Notre Dame, delve into the survey findings and scores of personal interviews to present a portrait of the state of American giving.

Globe

'THE ALMANAC OF American Philanthropy " is something new under the sun: a sweeping reference guid... more 'THE ALMANAC OF American Philanthropy " is something new under the sun: a sweeping reference guide to one of the most remarkable institutions of American life — private charity. Published by the Philanthropy Roundtable, and running more than 1,300 pages, it is the first definitive work on the history, variety, and impact of private giving in the United States.

American Generosity: Who Gives and Why by Patricia Herzog and Heather Price takes a comprehensive... more American Generosity: Who Gives and Why by
Patricia Herzog and Heather Price takes
a comprehensive approach to studying generosity
in the United States. Drawing on
a nationally representative survey and indepth
interviews with a subset of survey
respondents, both funded by the University
of Notre Dame’s Science of Generosity Initiative,
Herzog and Price first systematically
describe the level of generosity among Americans.
The remainder of the book largely
focuses on patterns in generosity, in particular
addressing questions about who is most
likely to be generous and why people are
generous. The authors seek both to inform
scholarship on generosity and to provide
practitioners with insights into how to persuade
people to engage in more generosity.

Taken altogether, American Generosity offers a deep and incisive examination of the patterns and ... more Taken altogether, American Generosity offers a
deep and incisive examination of the patterns
and causes of generosity in the United States and
a thoughtful development and testing of new and
refined frameworks to understand the phenomenon
of generosity in general. While geared primarily
to scholars exploring these issues, it will
also definitely prove of interest for fundraisers
and other nonprofit leaders looking to strengthen
and deepen their resource development strategies.
But for its core academic audience, American
Generosity capably achieves what it set out to do
— to provide a rigorous, data-driven grounding
for future research into the science of generosity.

Medium

Who gives and gives well? Sociologists Patricia Snell Herzog and Heather E. Price lend their book... more Who gives and gives well? Sociologists Patricia Snell Herzog and Heather E. Price lend their book American Generosity a rigorously analytical eye. They hold our country’s charitable giving up to the mirror and keep turning it until they reveal every angle, explaining quantitatively and qualitatively the what, who, where, and why of generosity. The result is one of the most in-depth and compelling portraits of American philanthropy yet.

Imagine a snapshot of American giving. What would it look like? Would it portray an abundantly ge... more Imagine a snapshot of American giving. What would it look like? Would it portray an abundantly generous America, or show a dismal lack of involvement in charitable causes and civic society? In American Generosity: Who Gives and Why, sociologists Patricia Snell Herzog and Heather E. Price address this question using a variety of methods with the goal of both broadening and deepening our understanding of how generosity is expressed, what fuels it, and what can be done to encourage more of it.

Cognella University Readers, 2018

IntechOpen eBooks, Nov 30, 2023

Religions, 2020

This paper advances the global study of religiosity by conducting a systematic review of the geog... more This paper advances the global study of religiosity by conducting a systematic review of the geographic scope, religious traditions, levels of analysis, and topics investigated within contemporary scientific studies of religion, paying particular attention to intersections with generosity. The analysis builds upon a meta-analysis of 30 years of scientific studies of religion that was published ten years ago and engages a similar framework to analyze the most recent ten years of research on religiosity and spirituality. Specifically, this analysis codes for the potential for Western-centrism, Christian-centrism, and congregational-centrism, all while attending to ways to study the potential intersection between religiosity and generosity, especially during the formative youth development life stage. Two data sources inform this analysis: the international data catalog of the Association for Religious Research Archives (ARDA) and the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (JSSR)...

Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion, 2018

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 2017

Building upon research on the professionalization of clergy, this paper analyzes the future of wo... more Building upon research on the professionalization of clergy, this paper analyzes the future of work in the context of organizational change. Increasing prevalence and rising pressures on nonprofit organizations to collaborate have resulted in a greater need for interagency ties. In this context, engaging in collaborations can be viewed as an indicator of professionalization. Yet, questions remain regarding whether faith-based organizations align with or diverge from broader trends of nonprofits. Thus, this paper investigates the research question: Are nonprofit collaborations more common among professionalized religious leaders? Data are drawn from the National Survey of Religious Leaders (NSRL), which collected surveys from a nationally representative sample of 1,600 religious leaders. This paper investigates attributes of surveyed clergy and their faith-based organizations as related to their collaborations with nonprofit organizations. Two mechanisms are posited for professionali...

Choice Reviews Online, Feb 1, 2010

$Research paper thumbnail of Who are My Neighbors? Cultural Refraction in Contemporary US Ethnic Conflict$

Religions, 2020

This paper provides a meta-analysis of the intersection of (a) religiosity and spirituality with ... more This paper provides a meta-analysis of the intersection of (a) religiosity and spirituality with (b) generosity, philanthropy, nonprofits, and prosociality. The study is informed by three informational sources, chronologically: (1) informational interviews with scholars and practitioners based within and studying regions outside of the U.S. and Western Europe; (2) discovery search of purposefully selected extant publications, especially focusing on the last decade of contemporary scholarship; and (3) systematic search of relevant peer-reviewed publication outlets since 2010. Reviewed publications are categorized by level of analysis into macro, meso, and micro approaches. Across each level and source, publications are also geo-tagged for their geographic scope. Particular attention is paid to the under-studied world regions of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The results reveal that Asia is the most studied and Latin America the least studied, and that meso-level ap...

Religions, 2020

This paper seeks to advance the global study of religiosity and spirituality by conducting a meta... more This paper seeks to advance the global study of religiosity and spirituality by conducting a meta-analysis of major approaches in the field. While the field, and thus the collected publications, are dominated by Western approaches, particular attention is paid in this analysis to publications from geographies that are not from the United States or Western Europe, especially these world regions: Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Similarly, while the study of religiosity is considerably centered around Christianity, this analysis extends beyond Christianity, to the extent possible in extant studies, to include publications investigating other world religious traditions, such as African spirituality, African witchcraft, Afro-Caribbean religious traditions, Buddhism, Confucianism, folk religions, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Mormonism, Neo-paganism, New Religious Movements (NRMs), Shamanism, Sikhism, Spiritism, Taoism, and spirituality generally. A total of 530 publications were reviewed, a...

Sociology of Religion, 2010

Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 2009

Though many congregations structure youth ministry programs to foster desired religious and socia... more Though many congregations structure youth ministry programs to foster desired religious and social outcomes, questions remain regarding whether participation in religious‐based youth programs is beneficial for the youth involved. Studies show that religion typically results in positive life outcomes for youth, but less is known about the causal mechanisms through which religion makes a difference in their lives. Data analyzed are from two waves of the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR). This article examines the effect of youth participation on adult support, church connections, and moral values. A multivariate analysis with lagged dependent variables indicates some effects of youth group participation as well as self‐selection processes.

Educational Action Research, 2009

... Patricia Snell a * , Nola Miguel a & Jean East a pages 239-258. ... [CrossRef], [Web of S... more ... Patricia Snell a * , Nola Miguel a & Jean East a pages 239-258. ... [CrossRef], [Web of Science ®] View all references; Clark et al. 20037. Clark, MJ, Cary, S., Diemert, G., Ceballos, R., Sifuentes, M.Atteberry, I. 2003. Involving communities in community assessment. ...

The Science of College, 2020

Oxford University Press eBooks, May 4, 2020

This book aids entering college students—and the people who support college students—in navigatin... more This book aids entering college students—and the people who support college students—in navigating college successfully. In an environment of information overload, where bad advice abounds, this book offers readers practical tips and guidance. The up-to-date recommendations in this book are based upon real students, sound social science research, and the collective experiences of faculty, lecturers, advisors, and student support staff. The central thesis of the book is that the transition to adulthood is a complex process, and college is pivotal to this experience. This book seeks to help young people navigate the college process. The student stories in this book highlight how the challenges that college students can encounter vary in important ways based on demographics and social backgrounds. Despite these varied backgrounds, getting invested in the community is crucial for college success for all students. Universities have many resources available, but students need to learn when to access which resources and how best to engage with people serving students through different roles and with distinct expertise. There is no single template for student success. Yet, this book highlights common issues that many students face and provides science-based advice for how to navigate college. Each chapter is geared toward college students with a focus on the life stage that many entering college students are in: emerging adulthood. In addition to the student-focused chapters, the book includes an appendix for parents and for academics, along with supplemental website materials of instructional activities related to the content of the book.

Review of Religious Research, 2009

This paper provides a descriptive analysis of congregationally-based youth programs in one geogra... more This paper provides a descriptive analysis of congregationally-based youth programs in one geographically specified area in northern Indiana. A response rate of 98.9 per-cent (N=269) from congregations to a survey and 42 additional in-person interviews with youth ...