British Religion in Numbers has a report Gender and the Anglican Episcopate.
The Church of England has hit the media headlines again during the past week or so over its continuing internal divisions about the issues of women’s ministry and homosexual clergy. The general public’s reactions to all this have been explored by YouGov in an online survey of 2,227 adult Britons aged 18 and over on 11-12 July.
Details can be found at Support for female and gay Bishops on YouGov and in this PDF file.
The Church Mouse has also reported on this at Public perceptions of women bishops.
Is there any information to be had about the survey methodology? The British Religion in Numbers article refers to an “online” survey. Is this just what the trade calls ‘a sample of convenience’?
The majority shouted for Barrabas.
Rob, the term “online survey” may refer to thos statistically meaningless, self-selecting “polls” one frequently finds on webpages.
However, many legitimate polling firms now use online instruments and methodologies, while taking proper steps to create an appropriately random sample.
I would suspect, with YouGov apparently being a legitimate polling firm, that the latter would be the case here.
No, Rob, it very much isn’t a ‘sample of convenience’; YouGov are a reputable and professionally run polling firm who were the first people to carry out accurate online polling in the UK. Although it is a little odd that they sampled people on Scotland and Wales on something that is an issue purely in the Church of *England*. Church Mouse is completely disingenous in how he presents these results. While ‘only’ 39% support the consecration of gay bishops, a much lower figure of 27% are opposed, while 31% state no opinion, presumably in many cases because they are of… Read more »
This is all very well, but most of the people asked quite simply have no interest in this question whatsoever. Personally, I support women imams, but because I’m not a Muslim I don’t believe my opinion has any relevance to the question, and most Muslims would quite rightly discount my views as those of an outsider. Likewise, I would politely note the views of non-Anglicans on women and gay bishops, but we shouldn’t be expected to be swayed either way by their opinions. Theological battles (and, to a large extent, that is what this is) belong to belivers to fight.… Read more »
Martin Reynolds comments on the thread below (“Archbishop of Nigeria addresses the press”) that Lambeth Palace’s actions have been based on a flawed analysis of the disputes within the Anglican Communion. Lambeth believes that the US Episcopal Church is as “extremist” on one side as Nigeria and Uganda are “extremist” on the other, and that both are to be resisted. He adds: “Of course the analysis was wrong (in large part)…” The YouGov poll shows just exactly how wrong and out of touch Lambeth Palace is, and how much it is alienating the people of its own nation. Apparently 39%… Read more »
“The majority shouted for Barrabas.”
As I recall, the minority didn’t do too well that Good Friday either.
Gerry
Nice of you to visit my blog after writing that to say that on reflection you don’t think I had been disingenuous. In fact I merely stated the numbers in full as they are and linked to the full survey results.
Church Mouse,
And you added some commentary – entirely reasonable of you, of course, but as I said, I felt your interpretation of the figures was unduly conservative. And as I further said, I sometimes forget, looks at poll numbers as part of their working life, so I hope no insult is assumed or taken.
I’d call these pretty good numbers for the good guys, inasmuch as they mean anything in an overwhelmingly secular society.
Actually, I don’t remember it being the “majority” who shouted for Barabbas – rather the high PRIESTS had the crowd scattered with those to incite some to shout the *loudest* for Barabbas.