Sit Down and Be Counted!
One of the most interesting studies to come out in the past decade is Voices from the Pagan Census. The book is based on surveys that were circulated from 1993 to 1995, by hand and via magazines and newsletters, but also through the new communications tool called the “internet.” I remember coming across several copies, though the one I ultimately filled out came from an online bulletin board service.
From the several thousand responses they received, Helen Berger and her associates were able to compile the most complete picture to date of the beliefs and practices of Wiccans, Pagans, Goddess worshipers, Druids, Shamans, and Unitarian Universalist Pagans. The results are quite interesting, as they reveal varying attitudes towards family, marriage, the environment, psychic phenomena, education, life after death, and many other core issues.
Now that over a decade has passed since the original survey, many changes have occurred in our eclectic little corner of the universe. So Helen and crew updated the survey, and are now asking people to participate online, here. The new survey asks many of the original questions so the results can be compared, but it also includes questions about internet usage and other new, relevant topics. It also asks about other spiritual traditions that have been influential aside from the original six, so those of us who don’t consider ourselves strictly one thing or another now have a lot more latitude to describe our spiritual orientation.
The survey is comprehensive; open-ended questions such as “which books have been important to you” took a while to answer. But the more complex and descriptive the answers, the more we will all benefit from the final picture that emerges. All told it took me about 15-20 minutes to complete the survey.
So if you are an information geek like me, or mildly curious, or if you just want to humor the rest of us, hie thee down to the Pagan Census Revisited, have a cup of tea, and share a little bit of who you are and have been.
