Daniel Olson
Please join me in congratulating Daniel Olson, professor of sociology, for having concluded a year as president of the Association for the Sociology of Religion with his presidential address at the organization’s annual meetings in Philadelphia.
The title of Dan’s address was “The Influence of Your Neighbors’ Religions on You, Your Attitudes and Behaviors, and Your Community.” It highlighted research Dan conducted with graduate student Joey Marshall showing that the types of religious groups concentrated in a geographic area (for example, the percent Catholic) influence the behavior and attitudes of all people living there. Even after controlling for characteristics of the geographic areas (characteristics such as poverty levels, education levels, residential segregation, etc.), the religious composition of an area impacts trends in divorce, teen pregnancy, crime, mortality, and other important outcomes.
Dan’s address will be published in the journal, Sociology of Religion.
Congratulations, Professor Olson!
David A. Reingold
Justin S. Morrill Dean
College of Liberal Arts