Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

National Jewish population survey 2000–01: A guide for the perplexed

  • Published:
Contemporary Jewry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The National Jewish Population Survey 2000–01 (NJPS) has been the focus of substantial controversy and misinterpretation. Because of both its design and implementation, there are numerous difficulties in using NJPS data to understand the contemporary American Jewish community. This “guide” analyzes key issues about NJPS, including its sampling design, response rale, assessment of Jewish identity, weighting, and structure of the instrument. Although NJPS provides valuable information for scholars and policy users, focusing on population estimates and ignoring methodological limitations makes misinterpretation likely. Estimates, to the extent they are offered, need to be discussed as ranges within confidence intervals and with caveats about their interpretation. A particular caution is that analysis of characteristics of the population must distinguish between the entire estimated Jewish population and those who are “persons of Jewish background.” The present guide outlines appropriate use of the NJPS data set, emphasizing multivariate analyses and investigations of relationships among variables. NJPS represents the most complex study of the Jewish population ever conducted, and while methodological limitations need to be taken into account, the study provides potentially important insights into the character of the American Jewish community.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Cohen, Steven M. and Arnold M. Eisen. 2000.The Jew Within: Self Family, and Community in America. Bloomington, IN: University of Indiana Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Couper, Mick P., Michael W. Traugott, and Mark J. Lamias. 2001. “Web Survey Design and Administration.”Public Opinion Quarterly 65: 230–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curtin, Richard, Stanley Presser, and Singer Eleanor. 2000. “The Effects of Response Rate Changes on the Index of Consumer Sentiment.”Public Opinion Quarterly 64: 413–428.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DataFlux Corporation. 2002. “dfPower DBMS/Copy for Windows.” Cary, NC: DataFlux Corporation.

  • Davis, James A. and Tom W. Smith. 1992.The NORC General Social Survey: A User’s Guide. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • DellaPergola, Sergio. 1991. “New Data on Demography and Identification among Jews in the U.S.: Trends, Inconsistencies and Disagreements.”Contemporary Jewry 41: 67–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DellaPergola, Sergio. 2003. “A Reliable Survey.”Jewish Week, September 19, 2003.

  • Diamond, Jack. 1977. “A Reader in the Demography of American Jews.” Pp. 251–317 inAmerican Jewish Yearbook, vol. 77, edited by M. Himmelfarb. New York: American Jewish Committee.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dillman, Don. 1983. “Mail and Self-Administered Questionnaires.” Pp. 359–377 inHandbook of Survey Research, edited by P. H. Rossi, J. D. Wright, and A. B. Anderson. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dillman, Don A. 2002. “Navigating the Rapids of Change: Some Observations on Survey Methodology in the Early Twenty-First Century.”Public Opinion Quarterly 66: 473–494.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg, J.J. 2003. “A Jewish Recount.”The New York Times, September 17, 2003, pp. 27.

  • Goldstein, Sidney. 1981. “Jews in the United States: Perspectives from Demography.” Pp. 3–59 inAmerican Jewish Yearbook, vol. 81, edited by M. Himmeifarb and D. Singer. New York: American Jewish Committee.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldstein, Sidney and Alice Goldstein. 1996.Jews on the Move: Implications for Jewish Identity. Albany: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Good, Dorothy. 1959. “Questions on Religion in the United Stales Census.”Population Index 25: 3–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Groves, Robert M., Robert B. Cialdini, and Mick P. Couper. 1992. “Understanding the Decision to Participate in a Survey.”Public Opinion Quarterly 56: 475–495.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Groves, Robert M. and Mick P. Couper. 1998.Nonresponse in Household Interview Surveys. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Groves, Robert M., Stanley Presser, and Sarah Dipko. 2004. “The Role of Topic Interest in Survey Participation Decisions.”Public Opinion Quarterly 68: 2–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hartman, Moshe and Harriet Hartman. 1996.Gender Equality and American Jews. Albany: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kadushin, Charles and Laurence Kotler-Berkowitz. 2004. “Communities and Networks in the American Jewish Population.” Presented at the annual meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society, New York.

  • Ketter, Scott, Carolyn Miller, Andrew Kohut, Robert M. Groves, and Stanley Presser. 2000. “Consequences of Reducing Nonresponse in a National Telephone Survey.”Public Opinion Quarterly 64: 125–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kosmin, Barry A., Sidney Goldstein, Joseph Waksberg, Nava Lerer, Ariela Keysar, and Jeffrey Scheckner. 1991. “Highlights of the CJF 1990 National Jewish Population Survey.” New York: Council of Jewish Federations.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kotler-Berkowitz, Laurence, Lorraine Blass, and Danyelle Peckerman-Neuman. 2004a. “Nazi Victims Now Residing in the United States: Findings from the National Jewish Population Survey 2000–01.” New York: United Jewish Communities.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kotler-Berkowitz, Laurence, Steven M. Cohen, Jonathon Ament, Vivian Klaff, Frank Mott, and Danyelle Peckerman-Neuman. 2004b.The National Jewish Population Survey 2000–01: Strength, Challenge and Diversity in the American Jewish Population. New York: United Jewish Communities.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marketing Research Association. 2004. “CMOR Tracking System - Cooperation, Refusal and Response Rates.” Retrieved March 12, 2004 (http://www.mra-net.org/resources/respondent_cooperation/ coop_rates_avg.cfm).

  • Massarik, Fred. 1992. “Knowledge about U.S. Jewish Populations: Retrospect and Prospect 1970–2001.”Journal of Jewish Communal Service 68: 299–305.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, Egon, Barry A. Kosmin, and Ariela Keysar. 2001.American Jewish Identity Survey. New York: The Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nussbaum Cohen, Debra. 2004. “Reform Leader Predicts Demise of Conservatives.”Jewish Week.

  • Pealer, Lisa N., Robert M. Weiler, R. Morgan Pigg, David Miller, and Steve M. Dorman. 2001. “The Feasibility of a Web-Based Surveillance System to Collect Health Risk Behavior Data From College Students.”Health Education & Behavior 28: 547–559.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, Benjamin T., Charles Kadushin and Leonard Saxe. 2004.Accounting for Religious Household composition among incomplete screener interviews. Waltham, MA: Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, Bruce. 1997. “Re-Examining Intermarriage: Trends, Textures and Strategies.” Boston, Los Angeles and New York: Susan and David Wilstein Institute of Jewish Policy Studies and American Jewish Committee.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piekarski, Linda, Gwen Kaplan, and Jessica Prestegaard. 1999. “Telephony and Telephone Sampling: The Dynamics of Change.” Presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, St. Petersberg, FL.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ritterband, Paul, Barry A. Kosmin, and J. Scheckner. 1988. “Counting Jewish Populations: Methods and Problems.” Pp. 204–221 inAmer- icon Jewish Yearbook, vol. 88, edited by D. Singer. New York: American Jewish Committee.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rubin, Donald B. and Neal Thomas. 1966. “Matching Using Estimated Propensity Scores: Relating Theory to Practice.”Biometrics 52: 249–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saxe, Leonard and Charles Kadushin 2003a. “The Arithmetic of U.S. Jewry.”The Jerusalem Report, November 17, 2003, pp. 135.

  • Saxe, Leonard and Charles Kadushin. 2003b. “Population Study: Questioning the Validity.”Jewish Week, September 19, 2003.

  • Schmelz, Usiel O. 1969. “Evaluation of Jewish Population Estimates.” Pp. 273–288 inAmerican Jewish Yearbook, vol. 70, edited by M. Fine and Milton Himmelfarb. New York: American Jewish Committee.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schulman, Mark A. 2003. “National Jewish Population Survey 2000–2001: Study Review Memo.” New York: United Jewish Communities.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seligman, Ben B. 1951. “The American Jew: Some Demographic Features.” Pp. 3–52 inAmerican Jewish Yearbook, vol. 52, edited by M. Fine. New York: American Jewish Committee.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seligman, Ben B and Harvey Swados. 1949. “Jewish Population Studies in the United States.” InAmerican Jewish Yearbook, vol. 50, edited by H. Schneiderman and M. Fine. New York: American Jewish Committee.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheskin, Ira. 2001.How Jewish Communities Differ: Variations in the Findings of Local Jewish Population Studies. New York: North American Jewish Data Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheskin, Ira. 2003. “NJPS 2000–01, by the Numbers.”Forward, September 26, 2003.

  • Sheskin, Ira. 2004.Estimates of the Number of Nazi Victims and their Economic Status. Miami, FL: Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies, University of Miami.

  • Sklare, Marshall and Joseph Greenblum. 1967.Jewish Identity on the Suburban Frontier: A Study of Group Survival in the Open Society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, Tom W. 1992. “Research Notes: Trends in Non-Response Rates.”International Journal of Public Opinion Research 7: 157–171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, Tom W. 1979.Sex and the GSS. Chicago: National Opinion Research Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stark, Rodney. 1992. “The Reliability of Historical United States Census Data on Religion.”Sociological Analysis 53: 91–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • StataCorp. 2004. “Stata/SE.” College Station, TX: StataCorp.

  • Sudman, Seymour and Norman M. Bradburn. 1983.Asking Questions. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teitler, Julien O., Nancy E. Reichman, and Susan Sprachman. 2003. “Costs and Benefits of Improving Response Rates for a Hard-to- Reach Population.”Public Opinion Quarterly 67: 126–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornberry, Owen T. and James T. Massey. 1988. “Trends in United States Telephone Coverage Across Time and Subgroups.” Pp. 25- 49 inTelephone Survey Methodology, edited by R. M. Groves, P. P. Biemer, L. E. Lyberg, J. T. Massey, W. L. I. I. Nicholls, and J. Waksberg. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tobin, Garyand Sid Groeneman. 2003.Surveying the Jewish Population in the United States. San Francisco, CA: Institute for Jewish & Community Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tuckel, Peter. 2001. “The Vanishing Respondent in Telephone Surveys.” Presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Montreal.

  • United Jewish Communities. 2003a. “Description of the National Jewish Population Survey 2002.” United Jewish Communities, New York. Retrieved March 12, 2004 (http://www.ujc.org/ content_display.html?ArticleID=10451).

  • United Jewish Communities. 2003b.National Jewish Population Survey 2000–01 [MRDF]. New York: United Jewish Communities [producer], Storrs, CT: North American Jewish Data Bank [distributor].

  • United Jewish Communities. 2003c.National Jewish Population Survey/National Survey of Religion and Ethnicity 2000–01: Study Documentation. New York: United Jewish Communities.

  • United Jewish Communities. 2003d. “National Jewish Population Survey/National Survey of Religion and Ethnicity 2000-2001: Study Documentation: Appendices.” New York: United Jewish Communities. Retrieved March 12, 2004, 2004 (http://www.jewishdatabank.org/ File.cfm?MateriallD=152).

  • United Jewish Communities. 2003e.National Survey of Religion and Ethnicity [MRDF]. New York: United Jewish Communities. Storrs. CT: North American Jewish Data Bank [distributor].

  • United Jewish Communities. 2003f.NJPS/NSRE 2000–01 Datafile User Guide. New York: United Jewish Communities.

  • United Jewish Communities. 2003g.Non-Response Bias Test: Jewish Religious Denominations. New York: United Jewish Communities.

  • United Jewish Communities. 2003h.Testing for Jewish Denial. New York: United Jewish Communities.

  • United Jewish Communities. 2004a.National Jewish Population Survey 2000–01: Conservative Jews. New York: United Jewish Communities.

  • United Jewish Communities. 2004b.National Jewish Population Survey 2000–01: Jewish College Students. New York: United Jewish Communities.

  • United Jewish Communities. 2004c.National Jewish Population Survey 2000–01: Orthodox Jews. New York: United Jewish Communities.

  • United Jewish Communities. 2004d.National Jewish Population Survey 2000–01: Reform Jews. New York: United Jewish Communities.

  • Waksberg, Joseph. 1978. “Sampling Methods for Random Digit Dialing.”Journal of the American Statistical Association 73: 40–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ——. 1996. “The Methodology of the National Jewish Population Survey.” Pp. 333–359 inJews on the Move: Implications for Jewish Identity, edited by S. Goldstein and A. Goldstein. Albany: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weil, Michael J. 2004. “Rethinking Unaffiliated Jews.”Jerusalem Post, March 9, p. 15.

  • Westat. 2002.WesVar. Rockville, MD: Westat.

  • Westat. 2004.Westat Jackknife Weight Dataset. Rockville, MD: WESTAT [producer and distributor].

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, MS014 Brandeis University, P.O. Box 549110, 02454-9110, Waltham, MA

    Charles Kadushin

Authors
  1. Charles Kadushin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Benjamin T. Phillips
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Leonard Saxe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Charles Kadushin.

Additional information

The authors’ names appear in alphabetical order. Thanks are due to Samuel Heilman, Mark Rosen and anonymous reviewers for their comments, and Dara Brzoska and Graham Wright for editorial assistance.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kadushin, C., Phillips, B.T. & Saxe, L. National Jewish population survey 2000–01: A guide for the perplexed. Cont Jewry 25, 1–32 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02965418

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02965418

Keywords

Search

Navigation