A New Research Perspective of Measuring Chinese Religiosity Based on Shenling

Lu Yunfeng & Sheng He

Published in Studies in World Religion, 2023, Issue 9.

Abstract: The measurement of religiosity is fundamental to all quantitative analyses in the sociology of religion; however, studies on the measurement of religiosity among the Chinese population are relatively scarce. This paper proposes a novel approach to measuring Chinese religiosity: religiosity measurement based on shenling (spirits or deities). In Western societies, classification based on denominational affiliation has long been the foundation of religious measurement and has been widely adopted by Chinese researchers. However, this approach assumes a homogeneity of religious belief across Eastern and Western societies, which is inherently flawed. In the China Family Panel Studies, we experimentally compared and contrasted the two measurement schemes using a rotating question method. The study found that the shenling-based measurement scheme outperforms the denomination-based scheme. To substantiate this, the paper provides three examples measuring mixed beliefs, Buddhism, and Christianity. The new scheme helps address cognitive and sensitivity issues related to religion, offering insights into seemingly intractable debates and providing new perspectives for the study of religion. 

Keywords: measurement of religiosity, shenling, China Family Panel Studies