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Multi-option questions on what the law should allow for prayer in public schools, covering required prayer, silent prayer or meditation, and no prayer; the wording and the number of options differ between the GSS and ANES versions.
AI-matched An AI model grouped these questions and mapped their answers onto shared categories, and a second AI review checked and corrected the grouping and mapping. No person has checked it: compare the question wordings and the answer mapping below before reading the lines against each other.
Latest: 32% answered “Required/group prayer in schools” in ANES, 1998.
Shares of people whose answer maps onto these categories (non-answers and answers outside the scale are left out), because surveys differ in whether they offer “don’t know.” Each column is one survey wave, evenly spaced rather than to scale in time; hover for exact shares.
Shares of people whose answer maps onto these categories (non-answers and answers outside the scale are left out), because surveys differ in whether they offer “don’t know.” Each point is one survey wave at the middle of its field period. Lines from different surveys are never spliced together.
Groups differ from everyone by 7 points on average across all answers, in ANES.
| Line | Question | Match | How answers map |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANES | School prayer policy, four options Which of the following views comes closest to your opinion on the issue of school prayer? [1996-LATER: Just give me the number of your choice] (RESPONDENT BOOKLET SHOWN TO R) Caveat: ANES splits group prayer into generic vs Christian; generic group prayer merged with required prayer; 'Other, DK' combined | similar | By law, prayer should not be allowed in public schools → No prayer allowed; The law should allow public schools to schedule time when children can pray silently if they want to → Silent prayer or meditation; The law should allow public schools to schedule time when children as a group can say a general prayer not tied to a particular religious faith → Required/group prayer in schools; By law, public schools should schedule a time when all children would say a chosen Christian prayer → Required/group prayer in schools |
| GSS | Views on prayer in public schools, version Z C. Which of these statements comes closest to your feelings about prayers in the public schools?
The Lord's prayer or some Bible verse should be read daily.
There should be a moment for silent prayer or meditation daily.
No prayer or other religious observances should be held in the public schools.
Other (SPECIFY). Caveat: GSS wording is 'feelings' and the required option is Lord's Prayer/Bible verse; no generic-prayer option | equivalent | Prayer read daily → Required/group prayer in schools; Silent meditation → Silent prayer or meditation; No prayers → No prayer allowed |
Groups differ from everyone by 7 points on average across all answers, in ANES.
Subgroup charts are picked automatically. Of every breakdown in the data (party, ideology, age, sex, race, education, income, region, religion, and community type), these two put their groups furthest from everyone’s answers: the gap is averaged across all answer categories and waves, with each group weighted by its share of respondents. Party and ideology count as one choice, so the second chart shows a different kind of split. Groups with an effective sample under 50 in a wave are left out of that wave.