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What American Workers Really Think About Religion:Tanenbaum’s 2013 Survey of American Workers and Religion

tanenbaum’s 2013 survey of american workers and religion2

Copyright © 2013 by Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding

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tanenbaum’s 2013 survey of american workers and religion 1

Table of Contents

3 Introduction: What American Workers Really Think About Religion

3 American Workers and Religion –– Not Always What You’d Expect

3 About Tanenbaum

4 About the Survey

4 Understanding the Survey

5 What It All Means

6 Looking to the Future

6 In Conclusion

7 Executive Summary

11 Survey Report

12 A Profile of American Workers

14 Social Interactions in the Workplace

17 Experiences with Workplace Discrimination

22 Religious Discrimination in American Society

24 Survey Methodology



American Workers and Religion –– Not Always What You’d Expect

Withthereleaseofits2013SurveyofAmericanWorkersandReligion,Tanenbaumonceagainbreaksnewground.ConductedinMarch2013,thesurveyprovidesacom-prehensivepictureofAmericanworkers’experienceswithreligiousdiscriminationandbiasinworkplaces,aswellastheirperceptionsofdiscriminationinAmericansociety.Assuch,itoffersAmericanworkplacesinsightsabouthowtoattractandretaindiversetalentandenhancemorale.

Manyofthesurveyresultswerewhatweexpectedafter15yearsworkingacrossindustriesandwithFortune500companiestopreventreligiousbias.Butothersweremoresurprising.WeanticipatedthatAmericansfromminorityreligiousandnon-religiousgroupswouldexperienceprejudice;and,asexpected,bothmembersofminorityreligionsandatheistsreportedseeingorpersonallyexperiencingbiasatwork.Whatisnewisthatasignificantnumberofpeoplefromournation’smajorityreligiousgroup,Christianity,arealsofeelingmistreatedatwork.Today,nearly6-in-10whiteevangelicalProtestantworkersagreethatdiscriminationagainstChristiansisasbigaproblemasdiscriminationagainstotherreligiousminorities.

Simultaneously,Americansreportthattheirworkplacesarediverseacrossarangeofidentities,andthattheyareexperiencingmorereligiousconflictrelatedtothosedifferences.One-in-twoAmericanstodayworksinacompanywithamoderateorhighlevelofsocialdiversity–meaningthatpeoplewithdifferentreligiousbeliefs,ethnicities,races,andsexualorientationsareincontactwithoneanotherwithconsiderableregularity.Inthosediversesettings,morepeoplereportreligiousconflictsthaninmorehomogeneousenvironments.

Together,thesefindingssuggestthatastheU.S.experi-encesgrowthinlarger,morediverseworkplaces,weexpectacorollarysurgeinreligiousconflicts.Inadditiontolikelyproblems,however,thesurveyalsosuggestssolutions.Whencompaniesadoptproactivepoliciesthatacknowledgeandaccommodatevariousreligiousandnon-religiousbeliefs,employeesreportimprovedmorale,andthisgivescompaniesapowerfulpointofdifferentia-tionforattractingandretainingtopglobaltalent.

About Tanenbaum

Asksomeone,“Whatdoyoudo?”and,iftheyareemployed,theywilllikelytalkabouttheirwork.

Asksomeone,“Whoareyou?”andtheanswerwilloftenincludetheirreligion,genderorrace.

Religionisoneofthemostimportantwayspeopledescribethemselves.1Since1992,theTanenbaumCenterforInterreligiousUnderstandinghasbeentacklingreligionasitemergesindailylifeandofferingprogramsthatcombatreligiousprejudiceandbuildmutualrespect.

Asasecular,non-sectariannon-profitorganization,Tanenbaumaddressesthepowerofreligionbutneitherpromotesnordenigratesit.Assuch,wearenotareligiousorganization,butonethatworkstoameliorateconflictsandtensionsthatemergeinvolvingreligion.


INTRoduCTIoN

1IntheUnitedStates,religionplaysanimportantroleinmanypeople’slives,evenasthecountry’sreligiousdemographicsareshifting.Accordingtoa2012surveybyPublicReligionResearchInsti-tute(PRRI),8-in-10Americansself-identifyasreligious,and6-in-10Americanssayreligionisveryimportanttotheirlives(PRRI,AmericanValuesSurvey,2012).However,overthelastfewdecades,churchattendancerateshavebeenfallingandthenumberofreligiouslyunaffiliatedAmericans—thosewhoidentifyasatheist,agnostic,orclaimnoformalreligiousaffiliation—nowmakeupone-in-fiveAmericans.Inaddition,Americanswhoareaffiliatedwithnon-Christianreligionsnowmakeup7%ofthecountry,andtheProtestantpopulationhasdecreasedto49%(PRRI,Religion,Values&ImmigrationReformSurvey,2013),with2012markingthefirstyearinAmerica’shistorywhereProtestantsmadeuplessthanhalfoftheUnitedStatespopulation.


Inadditiontoourworkwithnationalandglobalcompa-nies,weofferprogramsforeducatorsandstudents,fordoctors,nursesandpatients,andforreligiousmenandwomenpursuingpeaceinarmedconflicts.

Ourworkwithglobalcompaniesconcentratesontworealities:First,eventhoughreligionisveryimportanttomanyemployees,toomanycompaniesfailtoincludereligionintheirdiversityandinclusioninitiatives,focusinginsteadonotheridentitiessuchasrace,gender,disabilityandsexualorientation.Second,addressingreligiousdiversityisgoodforbusiness.

About the Survey

In1999,Tanenbaumconductedthefirstnationalsurveyonworkers’experienceswithreligiousdiscriminationintheU.S.Sincethatearlyassessment,Tanenbaumhasbeenbenchmarkingthefieldandassessingtrends.Overthelastfiveyears,manyleadingcompaniesindiversityandinclusionhavebeguntoaddressreligiousdifferences.2Giventhisevolution,wedecideditwastimetoreassessthefieldandshedlightonthecurrentrealitiesofreligionintheworkplace.

WorkingwithPublicReligionResearchLLC,anindependentresearchorganizationbasedintheDistrictofColumbia,TanenbaumconductedanationallyrepresentativesurveydocumentingtheexperiencesofAmericanworkers.InadditiontopresentingaclearpictureofwhatisworkingandnotworkingregardingreligiousdiversityinAmericanworkplaces,thissurveyprovidesinsightsintohowworkersfeelaboutreligiousdiscriminationandaccommodationand,howtheyarebeingtreatedingeneral.Assuch,thesurveypresentsdatathatsuggestfuturetrendsandproactivestepscompaniescantaketominimizedisruptioninyearstocome.

understanding the Survey

Becausepeopleinterpretwordslikediscriminationandbiasdifferently,thesurveyonlyusedsuchwordsforbroadsocietalquestions.Incontrast,ourworkplace-focusedquestionscoveredreligiouslyrelevanttypesofincidentssuchas:whetheracompanypermittedapersontoobservetheSabbathorrequiredthemtowork;whetherapersoncouldfindfoodthatsatisfiedtheirreli-giousrequirementsatworkplacegatherings;orwhetherapersonwaspermittedtowearclothingorotherattirethatwasreligiouslysignificant.Often,thesearepreciselythereligiouspracticesthatpeoplewanttoobserveduringtheworkday.Ifarespondent’scompanydidnotpermitsuchpractices,wedefinedtheprohibitionasapolicythatdidnotaccommodatethereligiousneedsofemployees.Assuch,thesurveyreferstotheseexperiencesas“non-accommodation”ratherthanbiasordiscrimination.

UnderTitleVIIoftheCivilRightsActof1964,discrimi-nationonthebasisofarangeofidentities,includingreligion,isprohibited.Inaddition,religionisoneofonlytwoidentities(alongwithdisability,whichiscoveredbytheAmericanswithDisabilitiesAct)forwhichemploy-ersarerequiredtomakeaccommodations,unlessdoingsowouldcausetheemployerunduehardship.Beyondrespondingtothelaw,Tanenbaumhasfound,andthissurveyconfirms,thatsuchaccommodationscanhaveapositiveimpactontheworkplaceenvironmentandulti-matelythebottomline.Accordingly,wecallonemployerstoadoptanaccommodation mindsetTMthatwillenableemployeestofollowtheirbeliefsandwillsimultaneouslybenefitthecompany.Bythis,wemeantakingactionbe-foreaproblememergesandadoptingproactivepolicies,communicationstrategies,flexibleschedulesandrelatedemployeetrainings.

INTRoduCTIoN

2“AskDiversityInc:HowDoesYourCompanyHandleReligiousHolidays?”DiversityInc,accessedJuly17,2013,http://www.diversityinc.com/resource-groups-2/ask-diversityinc-how-does-your-company-handle-religious-holidays/.


What It All Means

IfthereisoneconclusiontotakeawayfromTanenbaum’s2013SurveyofAmericanWorkersandReligion,itisthatreligionisrelevantintheworkplace.Notonlyisitaprob-lemwhenapersonfeelsunfairlytreatedonthebasisofhisorherbeliefs–whetherreligiousornon-religious–buttensionsaroundreligionareoccurring,andareincreas-inglylikelytooccur,inourevermorediverseglobalworkplaces.Thatsaid,itisimportanttorecognizethattheissuesraisedinthissurveyarecomplexandnuanced.

Foronething,unlikemostissuesaddressedbydiversityandinclusionefforts,religionisnotonlyaboutgroupsthatconstituteminoritiesorthelessprivilegedinsocietyortheworkplace.Peopleofallfaiths,includingthosewhobelongtothe“majority,”havereligiousneedsthatrequirearesponseintheworkplace.ThatmeansthattheaccommodationmindsetcanbejustasimportanttothemanwhoisawhiteevangelicalProtestantasitistothewomanwhoisMuslimortootherswhofollowaminoritybelieftraditionintheU.S.Clearly,theexperienceofbeingunfairlytreatedatworkbasedonone’sbeliefsisnotlimitedtoafewisolatedincidents:

• One-thirdofrespondentshaveseenincidents ofreligiousbiasintheirworkplacesorhave personallyexperiencedthem.

• Halfofnon-Christianssaythattheiremployers areignoringtheirreligiousneeds.

• MorethanhalfofAmericanworkers believethatthereisalotofdiscrimination againstMuslims.

• Nearly6-in-10atheistsbelievethatpeoplelook downontheirbeliefs,asdonearlyone-thirdof whiteevangelicalProtestantsandnon-Christian religiousworkers.

Itisalsoclearthatwhenemployersadoptanaccommodationmindsetandimplementpoliciesaddressingreligiousdiversityofallkinds,theiremployeesexperiencehigherjobsatisfactionthanworkerswhoseemployersdonot:

• Employeesatcompaniesthatprovideflexible hoursforreligiousobservancearemorethan twiceaslikelytosaythattheylookforwardto comingtowork.

• 4-in-10employeesatcompanieswithoutclear processesforhandlingemployeecomplaintsare lookingforanewjob,comparedto2-in-10 employeesatcompanieswiththeseprocesses.

• Whencompanieshavepoliciesonreligious discrimination,theiremployeesarelesslikelyto belookingforanewjob.

• Regardlessofacompany’ssize,workerswhose companiesoffereducationprogramsaboutreligious diversityandflexibilityforreligiouspracticereport higherjobsatisfactionthanworkersincompanies thatdonot.

Boththesurveyandourongoingbenchmarkingresearchshowthatwhileitisimportanttohavepolicies,itisequallyimportanttocommunicatethosepoliciestoyourworkforce.

INTRoduCTIoN


Looking to the Future

ThesurveydocumentsasignificantAmericanreality:one-in-twoAmericanworkershascontactwithpeoplefromdiversebeliefsandidentitiesatwork–oftenwithconsiderablefrequency–andtheseinteractionsoftencauseconflicts.Ourincreasinglyglobaleconomyandgrowingreligiousdiversitysuggestthatreligiousconflictswillcontinuetorise.Asaresult,thequestionforeachcompanyiswhethertoincorporatereligiousaccommo-dationsintoitsdiversityandinclusionstrategiesorrisklosingtalentandcustomersasthesechangescontinuetoemerge.

Withinthisevolvingreality,thesurvey’sfindingssuggestseveraltrendsthatcompaniesshouldbepreparedtoaddress.Fromotherstudies,weknowthatthenumberof“Nones”isontherise.3Thisgroupincludesawideswathofpeople–fromthosewhoidentifyasatheistoragnostictothosewhoconsiderthemselvesspiritualbutnotreligious,orwhobelieveinGodbutrejectinstitution-alizedreligion.Fromourbenchmarking,weobservethatpeoplefromthisgroupareemerginginthepublicforumandarebeginningtobeheard.And,fromthesurvey,weknowthatmanyatheistsandagnostics/secularsfeeluncomfortablewhenreligioncomesupasasubjectatwork.ThissuggeststhepotentialforworkplaceclashesbetweenatheistsandevangelicalProtestants,giventhathalfofallevangelicalProtestantsreportthattheysharetheirreligiousbeliefswithcoworkersoccasionally.

Inaddition,oursurveydocumentsthatwhenitcomestoaddressingreligionintheworkplace,onesizedoesnotfitall.Anon-Christianmaycaremoreaboutissuesaroundtherighttodisplayasacredobjectatworkortoprayduringtheday,whileaChristianmaybemoreconcernedabouttakingoffSundayastheSabbathinordertoattendchurch.Thiscomplexityisheightenedbythegrowing

numberofunaffiliatedAmericans,manyofwhomarelikelytorequiredifferentaccommodationsfortheirownbeliefsandhighlyindividualizedpracticesthatarenotfamiliartotheiremployers.

Finally,whenworkerscannotconductthecorepracticesthatarepartoftheirfaith,itimpactsmoraleandcorporatereputationsinwaysthatcanhaveimplicationsforworkerrecruitmentandretention.Inthefuture,asworkplacesbecomeincreasinglydiverse,weexpectmoreandmorecompaniestojoingloballeadersbyadoptingproactivepoliciesofaccommodation.Doingsomakesgoodbusinesssenseandwillgivecompaniesanedgeovertheircompetitorsasthesearchfortalentbecomesincreasinglyglobal.

In Conclusion

ReligiousdiversityisafactoftheAmericanworkplace.Asaresult,employersacrossthecountryarefacingbothchallengesandopportunities.Thetypeofaccommodationthatmaybeimportanttopeoplefromonereligiousgroupisoftenquitedifferentfromtheneedsandrequestsofothergroups.Thatiswhyreligiousaccommodationisimportantforallemployees.Remember:itisnotaboutignoringthemajority,norisitamatterofprivilegingonegroupoveranother.Religiousaccommodationisaboutendingreligiousbias,prejudiceanddiscrimination.Assuch,religiousaccommodationisanopportunitythat,ifseized,canbringsuccessforemployeesandthecompanieswheretheywork.

INTRoduCTIoN

3PewForumonReligionandPublicLife.“NonesontheRise.”October9,2012.http://www.pewforum.org/2012/10/09/nones-on-the-rise/.

Executive Summary

TANENbAuM’S 2013 SuRvEY oF AMERICAN WoRkERS ANd RELIgIoN 7


More than one-third (36%) of workers say they have personally experienced or witnessed some form of religious non-accommodation4 in their workplace.

•Themostcommonlyexperiencedorwitnessedformsofreligious non-accommodationarebeingrequiredtoworkonSabbath observancesorareligiousholiday(24%)andattending company-sponsoredeventsthatdidnotincludekosher,halal, orvegetarianoptions(13%).

•Nearlyhalfofnon-Christianworkers(49%)reportexperiencingor witnessingreligiousnon-accommodationatwork.

•Whiteevangelicalworkers(48%)areequallyaslikelyas non-Christianworkerstoreportexperiencingorwitnessing religiousnon-accommodationatwork.

•Two-in-five(40%)atheistsalsoreportexperiencingorwitnessing religiousnon-accommodationatwork.

Roughly 1-in-5 (22%) workers overall share their religious beliefs with other coworkers occasionally.

Atheist, agnostic/secular workers and non-Christian work-ers are more likely than others to say they feel somewhat or very uncomfortable when the topic of religion comes up.

•Morethan4-in-10(43%)atheistandagnostic/secularworkerssay theyfeelsomewhatorveryuncomfortablewhenthetopicofreligion comesup.

•Nearly3-in-10(29%)non-Christianworkerssaytheyfeelsomewhat orveryuncomfortablewhenthetopicofreligioncomesup.

•Conversely,nearly9-in-10whiteevangelicalworkerssaytheyare somewhat(30%)orvery(58%)comfortablewhentheissueofreligion comesupintheworkplace.StrongmajoritiesofCatholics(84%), blackProtestants(83%),whitemainlineProtestants(75%),and non-Christianreligiousworkers(71%)reportthattheyfeelsomewhat orverycomfortablewhenthetopicofreligioncomesupatwork.

EXECuTIvE SuMMARY

4Thesurveymeasuredninepossibleformsofreligiousnon-accommodation:beingdiscouragedfromwearingfacialhair,certainstylesofdress,orclothingthatarepartofareligiousidentity;notbeingpermittedtotaketimeofftoprayormeditateduringtheworkday;attendingcompany-sponsoredeventsthatdonotincludekosher,halal,orvegetarianoptions;beingdiscouragedfromdis-playingreligiousobjects,symbols,orquotationsinapersonalworkspace;beingexpectedtoattendcompanymeetingsorcelebrationsthatincludeprayer;havingjokesmadeaboutone’sreligiousbeliefs,practices,ordress;beingrequiredtoworkonSabbathobservancesorareligiousholiday;beingdiscouragedfromformingareligioussocialorprofessionalgroupatwork;beingcriticizedfornotattendingcompany-sponsoredpartiesaroundreligiousholidays,suchasanofficeChristmasparty.

Photo: Perry Nelso


White evangelical Protestants have a unique footprint in how they treat religion in the workplace and in their attitudes about religious discrimination.

•WhiteevangelicalProtestantsreportsharingtheirreligiousbeliefs withcoworkersmuchmoreoftenthanworkersfromotherreligious backgrounds.Half(50%)ofallwhiteevangelicalProtestantssaythey sharetheirreligiousbeliefswithothercoworkersoccasionally, comparedto22%ofworkersoverall.

•WhiteevangelicalProtestantsareatleastaslikelytobelievethatthey themselvesexperiencealotofdiscrimination(40%)astheyareto believeanyothergroupexperiencesalotofdiscrimination.

•Nearly6-in-10(59%)whiteevangelicalProtestantsagreethat discriminationagainstChristianshasbecomeasbigaproblemas discriminationagainstotherreligiousminorities.

Nearly half (48%) of American workers are employed at companies with moderate to high social diversity.

•AccordingtoanewlydevelopedWorkplaceSocialDiversityScale,5 35%ofAmericanworkersareapartofmoderatesocialdiversity workplaceenvironments,while13%areapartofhighsocialdiversity workplaceenvironments.

•JustoverhalfofAmericanworkersreportthattheyarepartofminimal socialdiversity(21%)orlowsocialdiversity(31%)workplaceenvironments.

Americans working in moderate or high social diversity workplaces report experiencing or witnessing more incidents of religious non-accommodation.

•Workerswhoareapartofmoderatesocialdiversity(42%)orhighsocial diversity(45%)orworkplaceenvironmentsaremorethantwiceaslikely asworkersinminimalsocialdiversityworkplaceenvironments(21%) toreportthattheyhaveexperiencedorwitnessedsomeformof religiousnon-accommodation.

EXECuTIvE SuMMARY

35% of American workers are a part of moderate social diversity workplace environments, while 13% are a part of high social diversity workplace environments.

5Workplacesocialdiversity(high,moderate,low,andminimal)wasdeterminedusingmeasuresoffrequencyofworkplacesocialinteractionswiththefollowing:Muslims,Jews,atheists,followersofEasternreligions,African-Americans,Hispanics,Asiansandlesbian,gay,bisexual,ortransgender(LGBT)people.Theseinteractionfrequencieswerecombinedintoacompositescale.

TANENbAuM’S 2013 SuRvEY oF AMERICAN WoRkERS ANd RELIgIoN10

Americans working in moderate or high social diversity workplaces also report experiencing or witnessing more incidents of religious conflict between employees.

•About1-in-5workersinmoderatesocialdiversity(21%)orhighsocial diversity(18%)workenvironmentsreportwitnessingorexperiencing conflictbetweenreligiousandnon-religiousemployees.

Less than half of all workers report that their companies have the following key policies related to religious diversity:

•Flexibleworkhourstopermitreligiousobservanceorprayer(44%);

•Materialsexplainingthecompany’spolicyonreligious discrimination(42%);

•Apolicytoallowemployeesto“swapholidays”(21%);or

•Programstoteachemployeesaboutreligiousdiversity(14%).

Americans who work at companies with processes to handle complaints and with key policies that address religious discrimination report higher job satisfaction than workers who do not.

•Workersatcompanieswithoutclearprocessesforhandlingemployee complaints(41%)arenearlytwiceaslikelyasworkerswhosaytheir companiesdohavetheseprocesses(22%)tobelookingforanewjob wheretheywouldbehappier.

• Similarly,workersatcompanieswithoutmaterialsexplainingthe company’spolicyonreligiousdiscrimination(32%)aresignificantly morelikelythanworkersatcompaniesthatofferthesematerials(25%) tobelookingforanewjob.

•Inaddition,workersatcompaniesthatdonotprovideflexiblehours forreligiousobservancearemorethantwiceaslikely(28%)as workersatcompaniesthatdoprovidethisflexibility(13%)tosay theydonotlookforwardtocomingtowork.

EXECuTIvE SuMMARY

Survey Report

TANENbAuM’S 2013 SuRvEY oF AMERICAN WoRkERS ANd RELIgIoN 11


A Profile of American Workers

Single vs. Multiple Jobs

Nearly9-in-10(86%)workersreportthattheyareworkingonlyonejobcomparedto14%whoreportworkingtwoormorejobs.6

MostAmericanworkers(58%)arepaidanhourlyrate,whilelessthan4-in-10(39%)holdasalariedposition.Asmallgroup(2%)ispaidbythejoband1%refusedtoanswerthequestion.

Industry and occupation

Despitetheconsiderablediversityofindustriesinthecountry,afewsectorsemployasignificantpercentageoftheAmericanworkforce.Healthcareisthelargestsinglesector,employing14%ofAmericanworkers,followedbyeducationandeducationalservices(10%),constructionandmanufacturing(10%),retailandtrade(9%),commu-nityandsocialservices(6%),financeandinsurance(5%),transportation(5%)andfoodservice(5%).

MoreAmericanworkersareemployedinprofessionaloccupations(40%)—acategorythatincludesarchitec-tureandengineering,lifeandsocialsciences,education,business,finance,andthelegalprofession—thananyothersingleoccupationcategory.Bycomparison,lessthan1-in-5(18%)workinserviceorsales,andlessthan1-in-10workinanadministrativecapacity(9%),inanunskilledlaborprofession,whichincludestransporta-tionandbuildingandgroundsmaintenance(5%),orinaskilledlaborprofession,whichincludesinstallationandrepairpositions,construction,andprecisionproduction(i.e.machinist,welder)(7%).

Roughlyone-third(31%)ofAmericanworkershavea

positionthatrequiresacollegeoradvanceddegree.Anearlyequalnumber(32%)saythattheirjobdoesnotrequireacollegedegreebutdoesrequirethemtohavespecializedtraining.Thirty-sixpercentofworkerssaytheirjobdoesnotrequireacollegedegreeoranyformofspecializedtraining.

About1-in-3(31%)Americanworkersreportthattheyhavebeenwiththeircurrentcompanyforthreeyearsorless,and12%reporttheyhaveworkedfortheircom-panyforthreetofiveyears.Amajority(55%)ofAmericanworkersreportthattheyhaveworkedfortheircurrentcompanyatleastfiveyears,andone-third(34%)reportthattheyhaveworkedfortheiremployerforatleast10years.

Company Size

NearlyhalfofAmericanworkersareemployedbycom-panieswithatleast1,000workers(39%)or500workers(9%)acrossalllocations.Roughly1-in-5workers(19%)saytheyworkforcompanieswithatotalworkforceofbetween100and500workers,whileone-third(33%)saytheyworkforsmallbusinesseswithfewerthan100totalemployees.

WorkersemployedbylargercompaniesaremorelikelytoworkwithpeoplelivingoutsidetheUnitedStates.Aboutone-quarter(24%)ofallAmericanworkersreportthatintheircurrentjob,theyworkwithcoworkers,clients,orvendorswholiveoutsidetheU.S.Nearlyone-third(31%)ofworkersincompanieswith1,000ormoreemployeessaytheyworkwithcoworkers,clientsorvendorswholiveoutsidetheU.S.,comparedtolessthan1-in-5(19%)ofthoseworkingforcompanieswithfewerthan100totalemployees.

Job Satisfaction

MostAmericansreportthattheyaresatisfiedintheircur-rentposition.Approximately8-in-10saythatmostdaystheylookforwardtocomingtowork(79%),feelgood

6Thisreportisbasedonarandomsampleof“Americanworkers,”whichweredefinedasadults(18yearsofageorolder)currentlylivingintheUnitedStateswhoreportworkingasapaidem-ployee.Americanswhoreportworkingmorethanonejobwereonlyaskedtotalkabouttheirexperiencesinthejobatwhichtheyworkmostoften.

SuRvEY REPoRT


abouttheworktheyareabletogetdone(89%),andfeeltheirworkisvalued(85%).However,despitethesereportsofsatisfaction,closeto3-in-10(27%)saytheyarecurrentlylookingforanotherjobwheretheywouldbehappier,andamajority(56%)reportthattherearefewopportunitiesforpromotionorcareeradvancementintheircurrentposition.

The Workplace Social diversity Scale

Despitethegrowingracial,ethnic,andreligiousdiversitythathasbecomeahallmarkofU.S.society,manyAmeri-cansworkforcompanieswithrelativelylittlediversity.Inordertomeasureworkplacediversity,acompositework-placesocialdiversitymeasurewasdevelopedbasedonfrequencyofinteractionwitharangeofminoritygroupsintheworkplace.Theworkplacesocialdiversityscalere-vealsfourdistinctlevelsofworkplacediversityintheU.S.AmajorityofAmericanworkersreportthattheyarepartofminimal(21%)orlow(31%)socialdiversityworkplaceenvironments.Morethanone-third(35%)areapartofmoderatesocialdiversityworkplaceenvironments,while

just13%areapartofhighsocialdiversityworkplaceenvironments.

WorkersintheWestaremorelikelythanworkersoveralltoreportbeingapartofahighsocialdiversityworkplace(20%),whileworkersintheMidwestaremorelikelytoreportbeingapartofaminimalsocialdiversityworkplace(26%).WorkersintheSouthandtheNortheastcloselymirrorworkersoverall.

Notsurprisingly,largercompaniesaremorelikelytohavesociallydiverseworkplacesthansmallercompanies.Morethan6-in-10workersatcompanieswith1,000em-ployeesormoresaytheyworkinahigh(19%)ormod-erate(44%)socialdiversityworkplaceenvironment.Bycontrast,morethan7-in-10workersatcompanieswith100employeesorlesssaytheyworkinalow(37%)orminimal(34%)socialdiversityworkplaceenvironment.

Employeeswhoreporttheyarepartofhighsocialdiver-sityworkplacesarealsomorelikelythanotherworkerstoreporthavingcolleagues,clients,orvendorswholiveoverseas.Fortypercentofworkersinhighsocialdiversityworkplacesreporthavingsuchcontacts,comparedtoonly14%ofthosewhoareapartofminimalsocialdiversityworkplaces.

HighDiversity

ModerateDiversity

LowDiversity

MinimalDiversity

13%

35%

31%

21%

WoRkPLACE SoCIAL dIvERSITY

Close to 3-in-10 workers (27%) say they are currently looking for another job where they would be happier.

SuRvEY REPoRT


7Frequentcontactisdefinedashavingconversationsatworkwithamemberofaparticulargroupatleastafewtimesaweek;occasionalcontactisdefinedasworkplaceconversationsthathappenonceortwiceamonth.

Social Interactions in the Workplace

Conversations Across Lines of difference

Overall,workersaremorelikelytoreportthattheyhavefrequentoroccasionalconversationsatworkwithmembersofracialorethnicminoritiesthanwithreligiousminorities.7

MajoritiesofworkerssaytheyhavefrequentworkplaceconversationswithsomeonewhoisAfrican-American(55%)orHispanic(52%),and35%havefrequentconver-sationswithsomeonewhoisAsian.FewerworkersreportfrequentworkplaceconversationswithsomeonewhoisJewish(26%),anatheist(24%),afollowerofanEasternreligion(16%),suchasBuddhismorHinduism,oraMuslim(16%).

Approximately3-in-10(31%)workersreportthattheyhavefrequentworkplaceconversationswithsomeonewhoislesbian,gay,bisexual,ortransgender(LGBT).

However,therearedifferencesinreportedinteractionsaccordingtocompanysizeandregion.Workersem-ployedbylargecompanies(1,000ormoreemployees)areabouttwiceaslikelyasworkersemployedbysmallcompanies(100employeesorless)tosaytheyhavefre-quentinteractionswithLGBTcoworkers(39%vs.21%).WorkersintheWest(40%)aremorelikelythanworkersintheMidwest(24%)toreportfrequentconversationswithLGBTpeopleatwork.WorkersintheNortheastandSouthdonotdifferfromworkersoverallintheirfrequencyofsocialinteractionwithLGBTcoworkers.

Interactionsbetweenwhiteworkersandracialorethnicminorityworkersarecomplex.African-Americanworkers(58%)andHispanicworkers(68%)aresignificantlymorelikelythannon-Hispanicwhiteworkers(48%)toreportreg-ularconversationswithHispaniccoworkers.Interestingly,while81%ofAfrican-AmericanworkersregularlyinteractwithAfrican-Americancoworkers,whiteworkers(55%)aremorelikelythanHispanicworkers(44%)toreportregularconversationswithAfrican-Americancoworkers.

FREquENCY oF CoNvERSATIoNS oN RELIgIoN WITh CoWoRkERS oF dIFFERENT IdENTITIES

African-American

55%

52%

39%

35%

31%

26%

24%

16%

16%

Hispanic

Evangelical Christian

Asian

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual or Transgender

Jewish

Follower of Eastern Religions

Atheist

Muslim

SuRvEY REPoRT

Percenthavingconversationswith coworkersatleastafewtimesaweek


Notably,therearesignificantvariationsrelatedtoaworker’sreligiousaffiliation.

WhiteevangelicalProtestantsstandoutasthegroupleastlikelytoreportregularsocialinteractionwithreligiousminorities.Only20%ofwhiteevangelicalProtestantsreporthavingregularworkplaceinteractionswithatheistcoworkers;nearly7-in-10(69%)whiteevangelicalProtestantssaytheyseldomorneverhaveconversationswithanatheistcoworker.Similarly,fewwhiteevangelicalProtestantworkersreportfrequentinteractionswithcoworkerswhoareJewish(18%),Mus-lim(9%),oridentifywithanEasternreligionsuchasBuddhismorHinduism(7%).

Workersfromnon-Christianreligions(i.e.Jewish,Mus-lim,Buddhist)aremorelikelythananyotherreligiousornon-religiousworkerstoreportthattheyhavefrequentinteractionswithcoworkerswhoidentifywithanEasternreligionsuchasBuddhismorHinduism(50%),orwhoareJewish(39%)orMuslim(37%).

Atheists(67%)aremorelikelythananyotherreligiousgrouptoreportthattheyhavefrequentworkplaceinter-actionswithatheistcoworkers.Comparedtoworkersoverall,atheistsreportgenerallyhigherlevelsofwork-placeinteractionswithcoworkerswhoareJewish(45%),identifywithanEasternreligionsuchasBuddhismorHinduism(24%),orMuslim(23%).AtheistsarealsomorelikelytoreportfrequentengagementwithevangelicalChristians(47%)thanwhiteevangelicalProtestantsaretoreportfrequentinteractionswithatheists(20%).

Atheists(52%)aremuchmorelikelytoconversefrequentlywithsomeonewhoisLGBTthanareworkersaffiliatedwithreligiouscommunities,includingwhiteevangelicalProtes-tants(24%),whitemainlineProtestants(33%),Catholics(26%),andnon-Christianreligiousworkers(33%).

Comparedtoworkersinotheroccupations,workersinprofessionaloccupationsaresignificantlymorelikelytohaveatleastoccasionalcontactwithcoworkerswhoareAsian(58%),LGBT(50%),atheist(42%),followersofEasternreligions(33%),orMuslim(32%).Workersinskilledlaboroccupationsareamongtheleastlikelytohavecontactwiththesetypesofcoworkers.

Conversation Topics at Work: Religion, Politics, Relationships and Sex

Relativelyfewworkersreportthattheydiscusspolitics(24%),relationshipsandsex(20%),orreligion(15%)withtheircoworkersregularly(atleastafewtimesaweek).Mostworkerssaytheyseldomorneverdiscusspolitics(56%),relationshipsandsex(66%),orreligion(68%)withtheircoworkers.Workerswhofrequentlydiscussonetopicwithcoworkersarealsomuchmorelikelytodiscussothertopicsaswell.

WorkerswhoidentifywiththeDemocraticParty(23%)arenomorelikelythanworkerswhoidentifywiththeRe-publicanParty(24%)todiscusspoliticswithcoworkers.Amongreligiousandnon-religiousgroups,whiteevan-gelicalProtestants(34%)andatheists(31%)aremostlikelytoreportthattheyfrequentlydiscusspoliticswithcoworkers,comparedto27%ofCatholics,20%ofwhitemainlineProtestants,15%ofblackProtestants,and16%ofnon-Christianreligiousworkers.

WhiteevangelicalProtestantsarealsomorelikelythanotherreligiousandnon-religiousgroupstodiscussreligionwiththeircoworkers.One-third(33%)ofwhiteevangelicalProtestantstalkaboutreligionfrequently,comparedto16%ofatheists,14%ofnon-Christianreligiousworkers,10%ofCatholics,and7%ofwhitemainlineProtestants.

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Percenthavingconversationswith coworkersatleastafewtimesaweek


WorkersintheSouth(19%)aremorelikelytoreporthav-ingregularworkplaceconversationsaboutreligionthanareworkersintheWest(15%),Midwest(11%),orNorth-east(11%).Therearenosignificantregionaldifferencesinfrequencyofreportedworkplacedialogueaboutpoliticsorrelationshipsandsex.

Worker Comfort with Conversations About Religion and Politics

Morethan1-in-5workers(22%)reportthattheysharetheirownreligiousbeliefsorviewsaboutreligionwithcoworkersoccasionally(atleastonceortwiceamonth).Closeto8-in-10workerssaytheyseldom(43%)ornever(34%)sharetheirreligiousbeliefsorviewsaboutreligionwithcoworkers.

WhiteevangelicalProtestantsreportsharingtheirre-ligiousbeliefswithcoworkersmuchmoreoftenthanworkerswithotherreligiousbackgrounds.Half(50%)ofallwhiteevangelicalProtestantssaytheysharetheirreligiousbeliefswithothercoworkersoccasionally.Bycontrast,only19%ofnon-Christianreligiousworkers,17%ofCatholics,15%ofatheists,and12%ofwhitemainlineProtestantsreportsharingtheirreligiousbeliefswithcoworkersoccasionally.

Althoughworkersoverallarenotmuchmorelikelytoreportsharingtheirownreligiousbeliefswithcowork-ers(22%)thantheyaretoreportthatcoworkerssharereligiousbeliefswiththem(26%),somegroupsofwork-ersexperienceasymmetricalsharing.Forexample,only19%ofnon-Christianreligiousworkerssharetheirownreligiousbeliefswithcoworkers,but29%reportthatcoworkerssharetheirviewswiththem.Similarly,atheistsaretwiceaslikelytoreportthatcoworkerssharereli-giousbeliefswiththem(31%)thantheyaretoreportthattheysharereligiousbeliefsorviewsaboutreligionwithcoworkers(15%).

Amongworkersoverall,religiousandpoliticalconversa-tionsatworkdonotseemtogenerateagreatdealofdiscomfort.Whenthetopicofreligioncomesup,mostworkersreportfeelingsomewhat(40%)orvery(37%)comfortable.Similarly,whenthetopicofpoliticscomes

FREquENCY oF CoNvERSATIoNS AbouT RELIgIoN WITh CoWoRkERS Percent having conversations at least once or twice a month

All Workers

White Mainline Protestant

Black Protestant

Asian

Catholic

Non-Christian Religious

White Evangelical

Atheist

Muslim

22%

26%

12%

18%

26%

21%

17%

22%

19%

29%

15%

31%

50%

49%

Yousharereligiousbeliefswithcoworkers

Coworkerssharereligiousbeliefswithyou

More than 1-in-5 workers (22%) report that they share their own religious beliefs or views about religion with coworkers occasionally.

SuRvEY REPoRT


up,nearlythree-quartersofworkerssaytheyaresome-what(44%)orvery(30%)comfortablewiththeseconver-sations.Lessthanone-quarterofworkerssaytheyfeelsomewhatorveryuncomfortablewhenreligion(22%)orpolitics(24%)comesupatwork.

Therearefewdifferencesbetweenworkerswithdifferentreligiousbackgroundsonhowcomfortabletheyfeelwhenpoliticscomesupatwork,buttherearesizablediffer-enceswhenthetopicturnstoreligion.Nearly9-in-10whiteevangelicalworkerssaytheyaresomewhat(30%)orvery(58%)comfortablewhentheissueofreligioncomesupintheworkplace.StrongmajoritiesofCatholics(84%),blackProtestants(83%),whitemainlineProtes-tants(75%),andnon-Christianreligiousworkers(71%)alsoreportthattheyfeelsomewhatorverycomfortablewhenthetopicofreligioncomesupatwork.Bycon-trast,anarrowermajorityofatheists(55%)andagnostic/secularworkers(55%)saytheyfeelsomewhatorverycomfortablewhenthetopicofreligioncomesupatwork,whilemorethan4-in-10(43%)workersinbothgroupssaytheyfeelsomewhatorveryuncomfortable.8

Workerswhoarepartofhighsocialdiversityworkplacesarenotanymorelikelytoreportbeingcomfortablethanthoseinlowersocialdiversityworkplaceswhenthetopicsofreligion(71%)orpolitics(71%)arise.Workerswhoareapartofminimalsocialdiversityworkplacesareroughlyascomfortablewhencoworkersdiscussissuesconcerningreligion(70%)orpolitics(72%).

Workersalsoreporthighlevelsofcomfortaboutspecificpersonalexperiencesofreligioussharing.Overall,nearly9-in-10(86%)workersreportthatwhenacoworkersharedtheirreligiousbeliefswiththem,theyweresome-whatorverycomfortablewiththeconversation.However,asabove,smallernumbersofatheists(68%)andagnos-tic/secularworkers(64%)saytheyweresomewhatorverycomfortablewhenacoworkersharedtheirreligiousbeliefswiththem.

8The“agnostic/secular”categoryisdefinedasthosewhoself-identifyas“agnostic”(unsureifthereisaGod)orthosewhoidentifywithnoreligioninparticularbutarenotatheistsoragnostics.

Experiences with Workplace Discrimination

Company diversity Policies and Programs

MostAmericanworkersreportthattheircompanyhasaclearprocessforhandlingemployeecomplaints(65%),providesflexibilityaboutwhenpersonaldayscanbeused(69%),andhasanofficialpolicyrelatedtodressandfacialhair(55%).However,fewerworkersreportthattheircompanyhasflexibilityinworkhourstopermitreligiousobservanceorprayer(44%),materialsexplainingthecom-pany’spolicyonreligiousdiscrimination(42%),apolicytoallowemployeesto“swapholidays”(21%),orprogramstoteachemployeesaboutreligiousdiversity(14%).

Workerswhoarepartofhighsocialdiversityworkplacesaremuchmorelikelytoreportthattheircompanyhaspoliciesandprogramsrelatedtoreligiousdiversityanddiscrimination.Roughly6-in-10workersinhighsocialdiversityworkplacesreportthattheircompanyhasma-terialsexplainingtheirpolicyonreligiousdiscrimination(57%),flexibilityinworkhoursforreligiousobservanceorprayer(60%),andapolicyondressandfacialhair(62%).Bycontrast,workerswhoareapartofminimalsocialdiversityworkplacesaremuchlesslikelytosaytheircompanyhasmaterialsexplainingtheirpolicyonreligiousdiscrimination(28%),flexibilityinworkhoursforreligiousobservanceorprayer(42%),andpoliciesondressandfacialhair(42%).Workersinhighsocialdiversitywork-placesarealsomorelikelythanworkersinminimalsocialdiversityworkplacestoreportthattheircompanyhasaclearprocessforhandlingemployeecomplaints(83%vs.52%)andtosaytheircompanyhasprogramstoeducateworkersaboutreligiousdiversity(25%vs.9%).

SuRvEY REPoRT


Workersinurbansettings(45%)aremorelikelythanworkersinnon-urbansettings(37%)toreportthattheircompanyprovidesflexibilityinworkhoursforreligiousobservanceorprayer.

The Impact of Workplace diversity and Company diversity Policies on Job Satisfaction

Levelsofworkplacesocialdiversityseemtohavelittledi-rectimpactonjobsatisfaction.Workersinenvironmentswithvaryinglevelsofsocialdiversityreportsimilarlevelsofjobsatisfaction.Forexample,approximately8-in-10workersinhighdiversity(83%),moderatediversity(78%),lowdiversity(77%),andminimaldiversity(80%)work-placeenvironmentsreportthattheylookforwardtocom-ingtoworkonmostdays.Similarly,majoritiesofworkersinhighdiversity(52%),moderatediversity(58%),lowdiversity(55%),andminimaldiversity(57%)environmentssaytheyhavefewopportunitiesforpromotionorcareeradvancement.

Whilesocialdiversityitselfseemstohavenodirectef-fectonjobsatisfaction,workplacepoliciestodealwithdiversityarepositivelycorrelatedtomeasuresofgreaterjobsatisfaction.Workerswhoreportthattheircompanyhaspoliciesorprogramsthataddressreligiousaccom-modationanddiversityissuesalsoreportgreaterjobsatisfaction.Workerswhoreportthattheircompaniesof-fermaterialsexplainingthecompany’spolicyonreligiousdiscrimination,programstolearnaboutreligiousdiversity,flexibilityinworkhoursforreligiousobservance,clearprocessesforhandlingemployeecomplaints,andper-sonaldaystobeusedforanyreasonarelesslikelytobeseekinganewjobwheretheywouldbehappier,andaremorelikelytosaytheylookforwardtocomingtowork.

Forexample,workersatcompanieswithoutclearpro-cessesforhandlingemployeecomplaintsarenearlytwiceaslikelyasworkerswhosaytheircompaniesdohavetheseprocessestobelookingforanewjobwheretheywouldbehappier(41%vs.22%).Employeesatcom-panieswithoutpersonaldaystobeusedforanyreasonaremorelikelythanworkersatcompaniesthatdoofferthispolicytosaytheyarelookingforanewjob(35%vs.

CoMPANY dIvERSITY PoLICIES ANd PRogRAMS bY LEvELS oF WoRkPLACE SoCIAL dIvERSITY

Clear process handling complaints

Personal days used for any reason

Policies on dress or facial hair

Flexibility for religious observance/prayer

Materials explaining policy on religious discrimination

Programs to learn about religious diversity

Allowing employees to swap holidays

83%

73%

57%

52%

72%

74%

66% 62

%62%

62% 60

%

45%

37%

42%

57%

50%

37%

28% 25

% 23%

22% 18

%

20%17

%

8

9

53%

42%

% %

HighDiversity

ModerateDiversity

LowDiversity

MinimalDiversity

SuRvEY REPoRT


24%).Similarly,workersatcompanieswithoutmaterialsexplainingthecompany’spolicyonreligiousdiscriminationaremorelikelythanworkersatcompaniesthatofferthesematerialstobelookingforanewjob(32%vs.25%).

Workersatcompaniesthatdonotprovidethesediversitypoliciesalsoholdmorenegativeviewsaboutcomingtowork.Employeesatcompanieswithoutclearprocessesforhandlingemployeecomplaintsaremorethantwiceaslikelyasworkersatcompaniesthatdoprovidetheseprocessestosaytheydonotlookforwardtocomingtowork(35%vs.15%).Similarly,workersatcompaniesthatdonotprovideflexiblehoursforreligiousobservancearetwiceaslikelyasworkersatcompaniesthatdoprovidethisflexibilitytosaytheydonotlookforwardtocomingtowork(29%vs.13%).

Religion-Related Conflict between Workers

Mostworkersreportthattheyhavenotexperiencednorwitnessedconflictbetweenacoworkerwithstrongreligiousbeliefsandanon-religiouscoworker(84%)orconflictbetweenacoworkerwithstrongreligiousbeliefsandaLGBTcoworker(89%).

However,workersinhighsocialdiversityworkplacesaresignificantlymorelikelytoreportexperiencingorwitness-ingsuchconflicts.About1-in-5workersineitherhighsocialdiversity(18%)ormoderatesocialdiversity(21%)workenvironmentsreportwitnessingorexperiencingconflictbetweenreligiousandnon-religiousemployees,comparedtolessthan1-in-10(8%)workersinminimalsocialdiversityworkenvironments.Similarly,nearly1-in-4workers(23%)inhighsocialdiversityenvironmentsreportwitnessingorexperiencingconflictbetweenreligiouscoworkersandLGBTcoworkers.Bycontrast,only7%ofworkersinminimalsocialdiversityenviron-mentsreportsimilarexperiences.

WoRkER RETENTIoN Percent of Employees Looking for a New Job based on Company Policies and Programs

Materials explaining company's policy on religious discrimination

Programs to learn about religious diversity

Flexibility in work hours for religious observance

Clear process for handling employee complaints

Personal days to be used for any reason

25%

32%

23%

27%

25%

29%

22%

41%

24%

35%

Companyhaspolicyorprogram

CompanydoesNOThavepolicyorprogram

SuRvEY REPoRT


Types of discrimination Experienced at Work

Workersaremorelikelytosaythattheyfeltexcludedorfelttheyweretreateddifferentlyatworkbecauseoftheirage(15%)orraceorethnicity(12%)thanbecauseoftheirgender(7%),religiousbeliefsorviewsonreligion(5%),ortheirsexualorientation(1%).However,therearesomedif-ferencesamongcertaindemographicandreligiousgroups.

Youngadults(age18-29)andseniors(age65andolder)aremorelikelythanotheragegroupstoreportthattheyhavefeltexcludedortreateddifferentlyatworkbecauseoftheirage(23%and32%respectively).

African-Americanworkers(36%)aremorelikelythanHispanic(25%)andnon-Hispanicwhite(3%)workerstoreportfeelingexcludedortreateddifferentlybasedontheirraceorethnicity.

Women(10%)aremorelikelythanmen(4%)toreportfeelingexcludedorbeingtreateddifferentlyatworkbe-causeoftheirgender.Fourteenpercentofself-identifiedLGBTworkersreportfeelingexcludedortreateddiffer-entlybecauseoftheirsexualorientation.9

Non-Christianreligiousworkers(13%)aresubstantiallymorelikelythanmembersofanyotherreligiousgroup,includingatheists(5%),tosaytheyhavefeltexcludedorfelttheyweretreateddifferentlyatworkbecauseoftheirreligiousbeliefsorviewsonreligion.

Experiences with Religious Non-Accommodation in the Workplace

Morethanone-third(36%)ofworkerssaytheyhavepersonallyexperiencedorwitnessedatleastoneofninemeasuredformsofreligiousnon-accommodationintheirworkplace.Nearlytwo-thirds(64%)saytheyhavenot.Thetwomostcommonlyexperiencedorwitnessedformsofreligiousnon-accommodationworkersreportarebeingrequiredtoworkonSabbathobservancesorareligiousholi-day(24%)andattendingcompany-sponsoredeventsthatdidnotincludekosher,halal,orvegetarianoptions(13%).

Amongreligiousgroups,non-Christianreligiousworkers(49%)andwhiteevangelicalProtestants(48%)aremostlikelytoreportexperiencingorwitnessingnon-accom-modationincidents,followedbyatheists(40%),Catholics(35%),andwhitemainlineProtestants(32%).Onlyabout1-in-5(22%)blackProtestantsreportthattheyhaveexperiencedorwitnessedsomeformofreligiousnon-accommodation.

RELIgIouS CoNFLICT AMoNg CoWoRkERS bY WoRkPLACE SoCIAL dIvERSITY Percent Witnessing or Experiencing Religious Conflict

Religious-LGBT coworker con�ict

Religious-Non-religious coworker con�ict

10%

8%

9%

15%

18%

21%

12%

8%

7%

23%

AllWorkers

HighDiversity

ModerateDiversity

LowDiversity

MinimalDiversity

9ResultsforLGBTworkersarebasedonfewerthan100respondentsandshouldbeinterpretedwithcaution.

SuRvEY REPoRT


Althoughbothnon-ChristianreligiousworkersandwhiteevangelicalProtestantsreportsignificantincidentsofnon-accommodation,theincidentsreportedarequitedifferent.Nearly1-in-5(17%)non-Christianreligiousworkersreportexperiencingorwitnessingemployeesbe-ingdiscouragedfromwearingfacialhairorclothingthatispartoftheirreligiousidentity,comparedto2%ofwhiteevangelicalProtestants.One-third(33%)ofnon-Christianreligiousworkersreportincidentsinvolvingattendanceatcompanyfunctionsthatdidnotincludekosher,halalorvegetarianoptions,comparedto16%ofwhiteevan-gelicals.Bycontrast,whiteevangelicalProtestants(39%)aremorelikelytoreportthattheyortheircoworkerswererequiredtoworkonSabbathobservancesorreligiousholidays,comparedtoapproximatelyone-quarter(26%)ofnon-Christianreligiousworkers.Roughly1-in-5ofbothnon-Christianreligiousworkers(21%)andwhiteevangelical

Protestants(16%)reportincidentsinwhichcoworkersmadejokesabouttheirreligiousbeliefsorpractices.

Workerswhoareapartofhighsocialdiversity(45%)andmoderatesocialdiversity(42%)workplaceenvironmentsaremorethantwiceaslikelyasworkersinminimalsocialdiversityworkplaceenvironments(21%)toreportthattheyhaveexperiencedorwitnessedsomeformofreli-giousnon-accommodation,whileworkersinlowdiversity(36%)environmentsfallinbetween.

Notably,therearenodifferencesreportedbyworkersacrossoccupationcategories.Workersinprofessionaloccupations(40%)areaboutaslikelyasthoseinser-viceindustries(35%)orskilledmanuallaborprofessions(35%)toreportexperiencingorwitnessingreligiousnon-accommodationintheworkplace.

Workerswhowitnessorexperienceincidentsofnon-accommodationareslightlymorelikelythanthosewhohavenottosaytheyarecurrentlylookingforanotherjobwheretheywouldbehappier(31%vs.25%).Similarly,workerswhoreportincidentsofnon-accommodationareslightlylesslikelytosaytheylookforwardtocomingtoworkthanthosewhoreportnosuchincidents(75%vs.81%).

Reporting of Incidents of Non-Accommodation and Company Response

Amongworkerswhohaveexperiencedorwitnessedsomeformofworkplacenon-accommodation,lessthan1-in-5(14%)reportthattheseexperiencesweresharedwithmanagersorwithhumanresourceprofessionalsattheircompany,whilemorethanone-quarter(26%)saytheseexperienceswerenotsharedwithmanagersorhumanresourceprofessionals,and6-in-10(60%)saytheyarenotsure.

Workersinhighsocialdiversityworkplaceenvironments(21%)whowitnessedorexperiencedreligiousnon-accommodationareapproximatelythreetimesaslikelyasworkersinlow(7%)orminimal(8%)socialdiversityenvironmentswhowitnessedorexperiencedreligiousnon-accommodationtosaytheseexperiencesweresharedwithmanagersorhumanresourceprofessionals.

INCIdENTS oF NoN-ACCoMModATIoN bY WoRkPLACE SoCIAL dIvERSITY Percent Witnessing or Experiencing Non-Accommodation

All workersAll Workers

Minimal Diversity

High Diversity

Moderate Diversity

Low Diversity

36%

64%

45%

42%

36%

21%

79%

64%

58%

55%

Accommodationissueorincident

Noaccommodationissueorincident

SuRvEY REPoRT


Workerswhosaidinstancesofnon-accommodationhadbeenreportedtomanagersorhumanresourceprofes-sionalsalsoreportawiderangeofreactionsfromtheircompany.Nearlyone-third(32%)saythecompanydidnothing,while21%saythecompanyissuedawarn-ingtotheresponsibleparty,and20%saythecompanychangeditspolicyoradoptedanewpolicy.Morethan1-in-5(22%)saytheyarenotsurehowthecompanyrespondedtothereportofreligiousnon-accommodation.

Religious Discrimination in American Society

groups Facing discrimination

ThereisagreementamongmostworkersthatthereisalotofdiscriminationagainstMuslims(54%)andgayandlesbianpeople(53%)intheU.S.today.Bycontrast,only

roughly1-in-5workersbelievethereisalotofdiscrimi-nationagainstJews(21%),atheists(20%),followersofEasternreligions(26%),evangelicalChristians(20%),orMormons(20%).Nearly4-in-10workerssaythereisalotofdiscriminationagainstHispanics(39%)andAfrican-Americans(38%).Approximatelyone-quarter(28%)ofworkerssaythereisalotofdiscriminationagainstwomen.

Therearesomevariationsinperceptionsofdiscrimina-tionaccordingtoreligiousaffiliation.Ingeneral,whiteevangelicalProtestantsaremorelikelythanotherstosaythereisnodiscriminationagainstvariousgroups.WhiteevangelicalProtestantsarelesslikelythanothergroupstosaythatMuslims(43%),gayandlesbianpeople(36%),Hispanics(26%),AfricanAmericans(20%),oratheists(11%)experiencesignificantdiscrimination.However,whiteevangelicalProtestantsaremorelikelythanothergroupstobelievethattheirownreligiouscommunityexperiencessignificantdiscrimination.Infact,whiteevangelicalProtestantsareatleastaslikelytobelievethattheythemselvesexperiencealotofdiscrimination(40%)astobelieveanyothergroupexperiencesalotofdiscrimination.Remarkably,whiteevangelicalProtestant

gRouPS FACINg “A LoT” oF dISCRIMINATIoN Perceptions Among Atheist, Evangelical and All Workers

Muslims Gay andLesbianPeople

Hispanics Blacks Women Jews EvangelicalChristians

Athiests

54%

66%

43%

53%

63%

36%

38%

45%

20%

36%

28%

39%

20%

20%

20%

20%

10%

11%

40%

55%

39%

21%

22% 19

% AllWorkers

AtheistsWorkers

WhiteEvangelical Workers

SuRvEY REPoRT


workersaretwiceaslikelytosaythattheythemselvesexperiencealotofdiscriminationastheyaretosayAfrican-Americansexperiencealotofdiscrimination.

Atheists(55%)aresubstantiallymorelikelythanwork-ersinanyotherreligiousgroupstoreportthatatheistsfacealotofdiscriminationtoday.However,unlikewhiteevangelicalworkers,atheistworkersarealsomorelikelythanworkersoveralltobelievethatMuslims(66%),gayandlesbianpeople(63%),Hispanics(50%),andwomen(39%)experiencealotofdiscrimination.

Interestingly,non-Christianreligiousworkers(60%)—includingMuslimworkersandworkersbelongingtoEasternreligions—areonlyslightlymorelikelythanworkersoverall(54%)tobelievethatMuslimsfacealotofdiscrimination.TheyareaslikelyasworkersoveralltosaythatfollowersofEasternreligionsexperiencealotofdiscrimination(23%vs.26%).

discrimination Against Christians in Society

Mostworkers(69%)donotbelievethatdiscriminationagainstChristianshasbecomeasbigaproblemasdis-criminationagainstMuslimsandotherreligiousminorities.However,asignificantminority(28%)believethatdiscrimi-nationagainstChristianshasnowbecomeasseriousanissueasdiscriminationagainstotherreligiousminorities.

Therearesignificantdifferencesinviewsaboutdiscrimina-tionagainstChristians,evenamongself-identifiedChris-tianworkers.WhiteevangelicalProtestantsstandoutfromotherreligiousworkers,includingotherChristians,onthisquestion.Nearly6-in-10(59%)whiteevangeli-calProtestantworkersagreethatdiscriminationagainstChristianshasbecomeasbigaproblemasdiscriminationagainstotherreligiousminorities,comparedto35%ofblackProtestants,25%ofwhitemainlineProtestants,and22%ofCatholics.Onlyabout1-in-10(12%)non-Christianreligiousworkersand5%ofatheistsbelievethatChristiansinAmericaarefacingcomparablelevelsofdiscriminationasotherreligiousminorities.

Societal Acceptance of Personal Religious beliefs

Mostworkersbelievethatsocietyisgenerallyacceptingoftheirreligiousbeliefs.Only1-in-5(20%)workersagreethatpeoplewiththeirreligiousbeliefsarelookeddownuponbymostAmericans,whilemorethanthree-quarters(77%)ofworkersdisagree.However,therearenotableexceptions.Nearly6-in-10(59%)atheistsbelievethatpeoplelookdownontheirreligiousbeliefs,asdonearlyone-thirdofnon-Christianreligiousworkers(31%)andwhiteevangeli-calProtestants(32%).

Three-in-ten(30%)workersagreethatthemassmediaishostiletowardtheirmoralandspiritualvalues,whiletwo-thirds(67%)disagree.Again,whilethereisagreementamongmostworkers,thereareafewcommunitiesthatstandout.

Six-in-ten(60%)whiteevangelicalProtestantsagreethatthemassmediaishostiletowardtheirmoralandspiritualvalues,comparedto40%ofatheists,27%ofnon-Chris-tianreligiousworkers,26%ofblackProtestants,25%ofCatholics,and17%ofwhitemainlineProtestants.

Two-thirds(67%)ofworkersagreethatpeoplewiththeirreligiousbeliefsarepartofmainstreamAmericansociety,while3-in-10(30%)workersdisagree.However,thereissignificantvariationamongreligiousgroups.

AlthoughwhiteevangelicalProtestantsbelievetheyareexperiencingsignificantdiscriminationandthatthemediaisgenerallyhostiletotheirmoralandspiritualvalues,three-quarters(75%)ofwhiteevangelicalProtestantsnonethe-lessalsobelievethattheirreligiousbeliefsarepartofmainstreamsociety.Roughly8-in-10(79%)whitemainlineProtestantsand7-in-10(72%)Catholicsalsobelievethattheirreligiousbeliefsarepartofthemainstream.Bycontrast,aslimmajorityofatheists(52%)andlessthanhalfofallnon-Christianreligiousworkers(47%)believethattheirreligiousbeliefsarepartofmainstreamAmericansociety.

SuRvEY REPoRT


Survey MethodologyTanenbaum’s2013Survey of American Workers and ReligionwasconductedbyPublicReligionResearchLLCamongarandomsampleof2,024Americanadults(age18andup)whoarecurrentlyemployedinapart-timeorfull-timepositionandwhoarepartofGfK’sKnowledgePanel.InterviewswereconductedonlineinbothEnglishandSpanishbetweenMarch19andApril1,2013.Themarginofsamplingerroris+/-2.8percentagepointsatthe95%levelofconfidence.

TheKnowledgePanelisanationallyrepresentativeprobabilitysampleoftheU.S.adultpopulation.Panelistsarerecruitedbyrandomlyselectingresidentialaddressesusingaprocesscalledaddress-basedsampling(ABS).Sincenearly3-in-10U.S.householdsdonothavehomeInternetaccess,respondenthouseholdswhodonothaveInternetaccessorownacomputerareprovidedInternetserviceandanetbookcomputertoensurethatpanelrespondentsarerepresentativeoftheU.S.adultpopulation.Unlikeopt-inpanels,householdsarenotpermittedto“self-select”intoKnowledgePanel;noraretheyallowedtoparticipateinmanysurveysperweek.AdditionaldetailsabouttheKnowledgePanelcanbefoundontheKnowledgeNetworkswebsite:www.knowledgenetworks.com/knpanel.

Toreducetheeffectsofanynon-responseandnon-coveragebias,apost-stratificationadjustmentwasappliedbasedondemographicdistributionsfromtheMarch2012CurrentPopulationSurvey(CPS).10Thesamplewasweightedtotendif-ferentparameters—sex,age,raceandethnicity,educationlevel,geographicregion,householdincome,metropolitanarea,Internetaccess,homeownershipstatus,andemploymentstatus—toensurereliableandaccuraterepresentationofthepopulation.

10TheparameterforInternetaccesswasobtainedfromthemostrecentspecialCPSsupplementalsurvey(October2010).

what american workers really think about religion · workers agree that discrimination against...

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