New article on patterns of interaction with chaplains

Journal of Contemporary Religion has published a new article co-authored by Lab Researcher Manager Amy Lawton, along with Lab Founder Wendy Cadge and Arizona State’s Jessica Hamar Martinez. You can find the abstract to “Interactions with chaplains: results from a national survey” below, and a link to the article on the journal’s website here. Those interested in reading the article may also contact the corresponding author via info@chaplaincyinnovation.org.

Abstract:

Chaplains and spiritual care providers are present in a broad range of institutions in the United States. Little is known about the fraction of people who have contact with a chaplain and the factors that predict that contact. This article reports on a new national survey (N = 1070) about these topics, conducted by Gallup in March 2022. We found that 18.6% of the respondents had contact with a chaplain based on the definition of chaplain used in the survey. The largest fraction (68.5%) interacted with chaplains in healthcare settings, including palliative care/hospices. Another 14.5% had contact with chaplains in the military. Being personally spiritual and being Catholic increased the likelihood that someone interacted with a chaplain. Patterns regarding who has contact with chaplains are distinct from those related to religious service attendance or affiliation. These findings suggest that interacting with a chaplain is not an example of religious behavior as conventionally understood.

You may also wish to learn more about the Lab’s research on demand for chaplaincy here.

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