https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12943105/mormon-church-utah-population.html

Has Mormon church LOST Utah? 'McDonaldization' of religion has weakened its hold over Beehive State, where just 42% of residents consider themselves members - far lower than the 61% figure touted by elders.

Research shows Mormons make up 42 percent of Utah population, a significant downgrade from church figures that put the number as high as 60.7 percent
Academics say around a third of those born Mormon in the state later desert the faith, while only around 30 percent still actively participate in church activities
Migration of non-Mormons to Utah was the main reason for the church's loss of influence, but corporatization of culture may also have lessened its appeal

I bet that there are still plenty of non-believing Utah mormons who know how to appear to be believing mormons...and are scared of gays!

And isn't it true that "Appearance is Everything..."?

yappi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Academics say around a third of those born Mormon
> in the state later desert the faith, while only
> around 30 percent still actively participate in
> church activities
> Migration of non-Mormons to Utah was the main
> reason for the church's loss of influence, but
> corporatization of culture may also have lessened
> its appeal

I don't think the mormons have lost much influence. Many of those that left the church have still remained politically in step with the church. Many have moved to Utah to be in a conservative environment - some even more so than the general population. However, some changes have come. For example, liquor laws have been more liberalized. When high tech companies have said, "Our people would like to come to Utah, but they'd like to be able to get a drink." Money talks.

"Just" 42% is still a lot of Mormons.

The overall population doesn't matter. 88% of our Government, Governor, AG, Senate and House are mormon. It's rigged.

Nicely put.

In the 2000s three presidents, all from the same party, have won the White House with a minority of the popular vote. In once instance the gap was several million ballots. Why does that happen? The system is rigged--explicitly in the constitution and implicitly through gerrymandering.

The same thing is true of Utah. The church can rule with far less than 50% of the vote; probably with just 30%. Mormon dominance will persist a long time.

I think Mormons could hold electoral dominance in Utah even if they were down to 15% of the population, as long as they continued to vote as a fairly cohesive bloc as they do now.

The nonMormon electorate is going to be pretty evenly split in a state like Utah. If it is even just moderately close to even split, dumping 15% Mormons all into one party is enough to get mostly Mormons nominated in that party, and then get all those Mormons elected in the general election.

Mostly Mormons would get nominated in Utah because Mormons are spread more or less uniformly throughout the entire state, unlike, say, Idaho, where Mormons are concentrated in the south of the state, especially the SE.

Agreed.

I almost referred to the situation in Missouri, in which the Mormon block could turn any election. In UT, with its gerrymandering and other advantages, they could probably do it with ten or even five percent of the total vote provided they voted uniformly.

The good news I spotted is that around 1/3 of those born Mormon leave Mormonism.

That must be a shock to the folks in the COB and greater Salt Lake City who live in LDS-bubbles.

note to want2bx: if "just 42%" is all the Mormons have in Utah, the center of their very universe, think what a puny amount must self-describe as Mormon in other US states or places farther afield.

The article made me giddy.

> The good news I spotted is that
> around 1/3 of those born Mormon
> leave Mormonism.


I think it can be argued that ANOTHER 1/3 of those born mormon don't exactly leave, but they don't exactly participate, including NOT tithing.

Social mormonism may be a thing in UT/AZ/ID, etc.

I think that one-third of the claimed church membership is the generally accepted number among exmos for active Mormons. And it may not even be that high.

A side story is how the church membership dept does not trust the data supplied by wards and stakes.

A good podcast involving one of the researchers was recently interviewed on Mormon Stories. I recommend it if you enjoy data sampling and reporting.

Basically, the church does not trust or believe in the data supplied by monthly church reports. It is TRUE that the Sacrament Attendance Reports are highly inflated.

Why would ward clerks give erroneous data?

Because ward budgets are directly shaped by ward attendance numbers. Bishops don't want to manage a smaller amount than previously allocated by SLC.

When I served as ward clerk, the Sacrament averaged between 150 to 190. Then members moved out and it dropped to around 135. The bishop took exception to the sudden drop. He called me beyond stupid for not counting correctly, he actually called me a mental retard. I gave in added 50 invisible people to every report and our conflict became resolved.

Stats are often massaged in dictatorships.

Johnny Wrote:
--------------------------
> Stats are often massaged
> in dictatorships.



Often overlooked is the fact that
you can't massage potato chips

dot matrix printer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When I served as ward clerk, the Sacrament
> averaged between 150 to 190. Then members moved
> out and it dropped to around 135. The bishop took
> exception to the sudden drop. He called me beyond
> stupid for not counting correctly, he actually
> called me a mental retard.

Almost beyond belief. What an awful thing for a so-called Christian, leader, whatever, whoever, to say. You kind of expect those in leadership to at least be reasonably civil, educated, a good example, maybe kind, no?

When it becomes obvious that the truth is unacceptable to upper management, then you tell them what they want to hear. I've done it myself.

Bishops want the clerks to do their lying for them. That way when they report bogus numbers they're not really lying.

These monthly reports were done at his home.

Imagine being at church from 7am til 1 pm: morning bishopric meeting, 3 hour block, then getting clobbered by ward council.

Then going to his home at 4pm to 6pm squabbling over the various computer lists' totals and monthly sacrament figures.

You give in because you are tired of rightfully disputing truthful statistics. You drive home frustrated because the leader won't accept the truth. And your family is annoyed that you spend more time with church than them.

You can't win.

I wonder how much of this is due to inactivity and how much to migration into Utah from elsewhere.

Some of each, I think. Plus the pandemic did not help. When you have neighbors who are not attending church, it becomes more acceptable for you to not attend church. Ditto for not going on or not completing a mission, although movement is slower on that front.