The mismeasurement of religion in mortality research

This paper reviews the existing research on mortality among members of specific religious faiths in comparison with the general population and examines the methods used to ascertain and categorize religious affiliation in mortality research. Having obtained these studies by using standard literature retrieval methods, we then noted the methods used in each of these studies to ascertain and categorize religious affiliation. We found that mortality researchers only rarely examined religious affiliation. When they have done so, they have tended to use religious taxonomies that do not adequately capture religious diversity, and too frequently have ascertained subjects' religious affiliation exclusively by inferring it from subjects' cemetery of burial or funeral home. Given the recently observed links between religion and physical health and longevity, we recommend that mortality researchers include more adequate measurements of religion in future studies.