@dappled_leaves I don’t laugh at statistics about Jews, I question statistics about religion, religious people, and atheists, because depending on how you word the question the answer varies.
I think it’s reasonable to look at Jews as a group. Politics, psychographics, demographics, etc., and discuss them from a sociological, or even marketing perspective. Just because the government isn’t asking doesn’t mean stats aren’t being compiled.
I’ll give you an example of what I mean by wording the questions. I’ve talked about this on Fluther before. When I was in college I participated in a study that was a simple questionnaire. The answers were multiple choice. I had a hard time answering a lot of it.
When I finished I went up to the person administrating the questionnaire who was talking to a student who finished just before me. As I walked up I realized she was saying the exact same thing I was going to say, a lot questions did not have answers to fit her. Within a few seconds we realized we were both Jewish. That questionnaire was obviously written by a Christian who has no clue how Jews function. I don’t know if the other student was an atheist, I’d say 50/50 chance.
I asked what the questionnaire is trying to evaluate, and he said that they are trying to get information about whether having a strong belief system affects students academically. Grades, study habits, and other parameters I don’t remember.
I felt strongly the questionnaire didn’t capture me accurately.
If I remember correctly it never asked my religion.