A Method for Proxying a Respondent's Religious Background: An Application to School Choice Decisions

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Human Resources
Year: 1999
Volume: 34
Issue: 1

Authors (2)

Stella Koutroumanes Hofrenning (not in RePEc) Barry R. Chiswick (George Washington University)

Score contribution per author:

2.018 = (α=2.02 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

This paper develops an algorithm for the probability distribution of a respondent's religion in microdata (including the decennial census) in which there are data on ancestry but not on religion. A frequency distribution of religion by ancestry is generated from the General Social Survey and matched by ancestry groups in the U.S. decennial census. The fruitfulness of the procedure is demonstrated through an analysis of the effect of alternative measures of religion on the household's choice of public versus private schooling for children. This method is useful to any researcher wanting to distinguish religious affiliation when only ancestry data are available.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:uwp:jhriss:v:34:y:1999:i:1:p:193-207
Journal Field
Labor
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25