I created this survey and distributed it to members who joined the church after
January 2011 and those who have taken the Exploring Membership class so
far in 2012, as well as to a handful of frequent visitors. You can also read the sermon about the results of the survey.
1) Which of the following statements best describes your
religious upbringing?
A. My upbringing was very religious and/or I frequently
attended religious activities 38%
B. My upbringing was somewhat religious and/or I sometimes
attended religious activities 26%
C. My upbringing was vaguely religious and/or I infrequently
attended religious activities 18%
D. My upbringing was secular and/or I almost never attended
religious activities 18%
2) (Please skip this question if your upbringing was
secular.) Which of these following statements best describes your feelings
about your religious upbringing?
A. My religious upbringing was mostly a positive experience
for me 32%
B. My religious upbringing was mostly a negative experience
for me 21%
C. My religious upbringing was definitely a mixed-bag, with
some positive aspects and some negative aspects. 47%
3) How did you first hear about Unitarian Universalism? Various
answers…
Website / Internet
Friend / Co-worker
Googled “First Agnostic Church”
Attended progressive community group
that met in a UU Church
College literature classes, Emerson,
Thoreau, etc.
Raised UU
Given book on “cults” that included
Unitarianism as a cult!
4) Why did you start regularly coming to this church?
(Please list all that apply.)
A. I wanted religious experiences
for my child/ren 65%
B. I wanted to belong to a community 76%
C. I wanted a place to develop my own personal religious and
ethical understandings 65%
D. I was hungry for experiences that could be described as
spiritual 32%
E. I was going through a tough time and thought a church
might help 24%
F. I wanted to join with others in doing social action and
community service 53%
G. I wanted to be around people who share my values 85%
H. I’m not sure why I started coming 6%
I. Other: Various answers… support with family
transition, multi-faith orientation, place where partners could both be
comfortable, personal development, etc.
5) Which of these statements best describes your thoughts
about religious language (i.e. words like soul, spirit, God, prayer, grace,
holy, etc.)?
A. These words are meaningful to me and I like it when they
are used 30%
B. I don’t mind these words as long as it is clear that they
are being used in a non-traditional sense 45%
C. I don’t care for most of these words and don’t find them
personally meaningful 25%
6) Imagine that there is an adult religious education class
being offered that is described this way: “Spiritual Experiences and
Practices. Come join this highly participatory class in which we explore
and experience spiritual practices from around the world. We will
meditate, walk a labyrinth, chant, and more. Wear loose fitting clothing
as movement will be a part of our practice.” Which of the following best
describes your reaction to this course listing?
A. Sign me up! It is like this class was created with
me in mind. 41%
B. I might take it if there was nothing better going
on. 27%
C. I prefer to engage with other religious traditions by
discussing them while sitting around a table, thank you. 23%
D. This class sounds like my own personal version of
hell. 9%
7) What would you do if there were no UU churches in the
Kansas City metro area?
A. I would probably attend a Christian church 6%
B. I would probably attend a non-Christian religious
community 6%
C. I probably would not attend any religious community
88%
8) An old UU joke goes something like this. “When you
die you enter the afterlife and you travel along a road until there is a fork
in the road. One path has a sign that says ‘To Heaven’ and goes towards a
bright light and a golden staircase. The other path leads towards a
room with fluorescent lighting, a coffee maker, and folding chairs. That
path is marked with a sign that reads ‘To Discussion about Heaven.’
That’s the path that Unitarian Universalists take.” Which of these
statements describes your reaction to the joke?
A. Ha! Good one! That joke is definitely about
me. 52%
B. I don’t think this joke is very funny, mostly because it
doesn’t speak to my experience of Unitarian Universalism. 10%
C. I don’t like having only two choices. Can I make my
own path? 38%
D. I don’t get it. 0%
9) What is your generation?
A. Generation X 56%
B. Generation Y / Millennial 25%
C. Baby-boomer 19%
D. Other 0%
10) Which of the following statements best describes your
reaction to this survey?
A. I enjoyed it. Thanks for sending it to me. 100%
B. I didn’t like your questions and think it
would be better if you asked other questions. 0%
