[Buddha-l] Buddhism, the second largest religion in the world

[L.S. Cousins]

Joanna,

>  >>JK. Based on the kinds of questions census forms ask, this type of
>>>material
>>>would be quite unreliable in the case of this topic.
>
>>  I am not sure what you mean. I would take the view that we should respect
>>  people's answers. Why do you think they are particularly unreliable ?
>
>  JK. You misunderstood my point: I was referring to the questions, i.e., how
>they are written, not to people's answers. I'm not the only social scientist
>who's objected to the way some census questions are phrased, but don't ask
>for examples. I've no census form with me right now.

I didn't put that very well. I did indeed mean to ask about the 
questions - not in general but as regards the specific issue of 
asking people what religion they claim to belong to. Obviously, it is 
possible to load any question. But a fairly simple question should 
give some sort of idea. I would not claim that that is very accurate. 
But it is still better than any of the alternatives.

Lance Cousins