IDEALS Symposium Spotlight: Chris Scheitle, Assistant Professor of Sociology, West Virginia University

IDEALS Research
Sep 7, 2018 · 3 min read

This is part of a series featuring IDEALS research awardees presenting at the IDEALS Research Symposium in Atlanta on September 13–14.

Chris Scheitle is Assistant Professor of Sociology, West Virginia University. His research examines the social structure and dynamics of religion in the United States.

Presentation title: Worldview Influences of College Students Who Do Not Identify with a Religion: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Comparisons to Religiously-Affiliated Students

Abstract: Nonreligious individuals are often defined in terms of their absence of a religious worldview rather than the worldviews that might take the place of a religious worldview. This study examined data on how college students identify important influences on their worldview, comparing the worldview influences of nonreligious students to those identified by religious students. Cross-sectional analyses show that nonreligious students are less likely than religious students to identify family background as an important worldview influence, but are more likely to say that philosophical traditions, social class, gender, and sexual identity are important influences on their worldview.


Q1: Why are you interested in worldview diversity and/or interfaith engagement?

There have been some dramatic changes in the religious landscape of the United States in the past 30 years, with the rise of the unaffiliated population and the increasing visibility of non-Christian traditions being major contributors to those changes. This makes understanding worldviews and the dynamics between worldviews an important issue for social science.

Q2: How do your personal research interests align or intersect with IDEALS research? In what unique ways do your personal research interests extend the work of IDEALS?

The research I am conducting with the IDEALS data concerns the worldview influences of nonreligious individuals and how those influences differ or do not differ from religious individuals. In the past, much research has essentially treated nonreligious individuals as a type of worldview vacuum. That is, their worldview is defined by a lack of religion. The IDEALS data provides an opportunity to see what nonreligious individuals point to as important to their worldview.

In the past, much research has essentially treated nonreligious individuals as a type of worldview vacuum. That is, their worldview is defined by a lack of religion. The IDEALS data provides an opportunity to see what nonreligious individuals point to as important to their worldview.

Q3: Who is the key audience for your IDEALS-related research? How do you see this audience leveraging IDEALS research to increase understanding/engagement of worldview diversity and interfaith engagement?

As a sociologist of religion, I am usually thinking first and foremost about how this research might contribute to the research literature. However, if individuals or groups are interested in including nonreligious individuals in their interfaith engagement efforts, then it is important to understand these individuals as representing more than simply the lack of religion. My research, therefore, could provide insights into the different components of identity and meaning for nonreligious individuals and make those conversations more productive.

if individuals or groups are interested in including nonreligious individuals in their interfaith engagement efforts, then it is important to understand these individuals as representing more than simply the lack of religion.


About the Symposium

The IDEALS Research Symposium will occur on September 13–14 in Atlanta. The Symposium will be a unique gathering where scholars and campus educators can come together to explore cutting-edge research with an emphasis on practical application, build a community of practitioners who have shared learning and language from the IDEALS project, and work to make meaning of the information together.

The gathering will highlight the work of the IDEALS Research Awards, bridge research with campus practice, and feature nationally renowned speakers, including IFYC’s Dr. Eboo Patel, and the Co-Principal Investigators for IDEALS, Dr. Matthew Mayhew and Dr. Alyssa Rockenbach. The program will include engaging and interactive workshops, in-depth discussions of IDEALS findings, and ample opportunities for networking and connecting with peers at other campuses.

IDEALS Research

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The Interfaith Diversity Experiences & Attitudes Longitudinal Study

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