Canada does a major census on the years that end in 1, and a minor one on the years that end in 6. One of the categories they have in the major census is a section on religious affiliation.

The US census does not ask about religious affiliation, which is unfortunate, because it would provide objective information on the grossly inflated membership numbers that LDS Inc provides.

A number of other countries ask about religious affiliation, but what makes Canada particularly interesting, from an RFM point of view is that the Mormon population in Canada is concentrated in Alberta, and a large percentage of the Mormons there have at least some family roots going back to the Brigham Young era. That means the Alberta Mormons can serve as a pretty accurate religious and cultural proxy for multigenerational US Mormons in the intermountain west.

In other countries with significant Mormon populations, the families joined the LDS Church within living memory.

In particular, we can compare the number and location of self-identified Canadian Mormons from one census to the next. The scheduled release date for “ethnocultural and religious composition” data is October 26, 2022, so just under a year from now. Woo Hoo!

I really feel that self-identification is the best indicator of church/religious identification. My mom didn't go to church much in the latter part of her life, but she would have identified as Catholic for her entire life.

Yay Canada :)

The friends who got me into Mormonism came from Alta. The wife was a convert though. I don't know about their family roots.

Alta is staunchly conservative politically at the moment, provincially and federally. Big oil $$$ though.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/2021 05:07PM by Nightingale.

I did a double take at you use of the old postal abbreviation for Alberta. Alta is a popular ski resort in the SL valley.

Incidentally, Canada coordinated their two letter provincial abbreviations with the US abbreviations. Manitoba is MB because, incredibly, MA, MN, MI, MT and MO were all taken. Why so many “M”s?

Yeah. Habit. :)

We have an Alta Lake here in B.C., at Whistler.

I don't know about the 'M''s. Maybe it's a nice sound or it's halfway through the alphabet or who knows. Interesting though.

I will answer none when asked. It's already on my Alberta Healthcare file...keeps those annoying bishopric visitors away when I'm in hospital.

Ah, I hadn't considered that. I am kind of hoping there is a spike in people who were nominal LDS in 2011, who finally threw in the towel between the $100B financial disclosure, the policy against baptizing children of gay Mormons, the uselessness of Priesthood blessings during covid pandemic, and the church renaming campaign.

I am hoping they change from nominal Mormon to "no religious affiliation". We shall see, next year at this time.

I know people affiliated with two congregations in Winnipeg, one Anglican, and one Unitarian. Both are struggling. The Anglican congregation nearly folded, but they still have a web page and appear to be holding services, so I guess the embers are not out yet. Canada seems to be following in the European model of withdrawing from religious activity. With any luck, the US will follow Canada's lead.