North American Jewish Data Bank
US Jewish Community Population
Estimation Procedure:
Guide for Interviewers
Seeking Community Estimates
Arnold Dashefsky, Ph.D.
Doris and Simon Konover Chair of Judaic Studies Professor
Department of Sociology, University of Connecticut
and
Director, Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life
University of Connecticut
and
Director, Berman Institute-North American Jewish Data Bank
University of Connecticut
arnold.dashefsky@uconn.edu
and
Ira M. Sheskin, Ph.D.
Director of the Jewish Demography Project
of the Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies
and
Associate Professor
Department of Geography and Regional Studies
University of Miami
isheskin@miami.edu
Finding Contacts
1.
E-mail places for which we can find an e-mail addresses. E-mails should be sent out
individually, and while we should attach the Excel spreadsheet with the population
estimates, we should individualize each e-mail by putting their current population
estimate in the body of the e-mail so that they need not open the spreadsheet to
approve their current estimate as okay.
2.
Use Google to try to find an estimate, particularly for small places. For example, if
one were trying to find an estimate for Dothan, Alabama, Google “Dothan Alabama
Jewish.” Even if you find an estimate you should continue with step 3 for this
community and can tell your contact that you found this estimate and does it seem
reasonable.
3.
Call communities for which we cannot get an e-mail addresses or who fail to reply
to the e-mail.
a.
Use
www.jcca.o rg,
www.uscj.org ,
www.urj.org ,
and
www.jewishfederations.org, and Orthodox web sites for leads on contacts in
different communities.
b.
Google name of state and the words Jewish, Hebrew, synagogue, temple
c.
Map your potential communities and compare to current listings in the Excel
spreadsheet.
d.
See if there are large places on the map that look like there should be some
Jews there and then google the place name with the words Jewish, Hebrew,
synagogue, temple
e.
Google names of existing communities in Excel spreadsheet with the word
Jewish as well. (So, if you are looking for information on Fargo, North
Dakota, Google Fargo, North Dakota Jewish.)
Thus, you may have more than one contact in a community.
4. Check back periodically with Dr. Dashefsky or Sheskin to report an problems.
Introduction
Hello, this is _____ I am calling you from the University of Connecticut on behalf of the
North American Jewish Data Bank. Dr. Sheskin of the University of Miami and Dr.
Dashefsky here at the University of Connecticut are responsible for producing annual
estimates of the Jewish population throughout the United States for the North American
Jewish Data Bank. These estimates become the “official estimates” in a sense. We are
currently trying to make an estimate for your community. This will probably take five
minutes or so. Is now a good time to talk?
DO LEAVE A MESSAGE WITH A CALL BACK NUMBER.
In our current report, your community includes (define geography). Is this okay, or are there
other places that should be included? Keep a map in front or you. If they start to name
places too far from the principal city, we need to question it.
The number of Jews shown for your community in the most recent report is __________.
I would like to ask you a few questions and then we can decide if this estimate is
reasonable for your area. (If they try to give you an estimate here, thank them, but say that
you would also like some additional information.)
Questions for
Jewish Community Population Contact Reporting Form, 2009
1.
First, we need an estimate of the number of known households. Do you have a
community-wide list of Jewish households?
a.
IF YES: How many households, not persons, but households who live in your
area are on that list?
IF NO: How many synagogues do you have? Approximately how many
households, not persons, but households belong to each synagogue?
OR
b
2.
Do any significant number of households spend at least four months of the year out
of your area? What percentage might that be?
3.
What percentage of households can you estimate belong to a synagogue? Before
you answer, in almost all American Jewish communities, the percentage of
households who belong to a synagogue is generally between 30% and 60%.
Nationally, about 40% of Jewish households belong to a synagogue. (Give them a
few examples that are geographically relevant.) See Table 1.
4.
Do you have a Jewish Community Center? See Table 2.
a.
IF NO: Go to Question 4.
b.
IF YES: How many Jewish households, not persons, are members of the
JCC?
5.
Is this a mostly younger or a mostly older Jewish community?
6.
Now we need an estimate of the household size in your area. How many persons
do you think you have in the average household. Household size varies from 1.9 to
3.1 in American Jewish communities. Nationally, there are 2.3 persons in the
average Jewish household. (Give them a few examples that are geographically
relevant.) See Table 3.
7.
What percentage of couples in this community are intermarried?
8.
The next piece of information we need is the percentage of people in Jewish
households who are Jewish. This varies from 69% to 96% depending on the
community. Nationally, 78% of people in Jewish households are Jewish. (Give them
a few examples that are geographically relevant.) See Table 4.
9.
Do you have a guesstimate of the number of Jews in your area? OR So, is _____
a good estimate of the number of Jews in your area.
10.
Is there anyone else in this community who we might want to talk to before we come
up with an estimate?
Thank the respondent.
Table 1
Current Synagogue Membership
Community Comparisons
Base: Jew ish Households
Community
Year
%
Community
Year
%
Cincinnati
2008
60%
Atlantic County
2004
44%
Tidewater
2001
58%
Boston
2005
43%
St. Paul
2004
56%
New York
2002
43%
Essex-Morris
1998
56%
Rhode Island
2002
43%
St. Louis
1995
56%
Chicago
2000
42%
Minneapolis
2004
54%
St. Petersburg
1994
40%
Rochester
1999
54%
Miami
2004
39%
Pittsburgh
2002
53%
Howard County
1999
38%
Hartford
2000
53%
Washington
2003
37%
San Antonio
2007
52%
Philadelphia
1997
37%
Baltimore
1999
52%
Martin-St. Lucie
1999
36%
Cleveland
1996
52%
Los Angeles
1997
34%
Lehigh Valley
2007
51%
Orlando
1993
34%
Detroit
2005
50%
Portland (ME)
2007
33%
Bergen
2001
50%
Atlanta
2006
33%
Columbus
2001
50%
S Palm Beach
2005
33%
Jacksonville
2002
49%
Denver
2007
32%
Charlotte
1997
49%
Tucson
2002
32%
Harrisburg
1994
49%
W Palm Beach
2005
30%
Palm Springs
1998
48%
San Diego
2003
29%
Monmouth
1997
48%
Phoenix
2002
29%
Milwaukee
1996
48%
Broward
1997
27%
Westport
2000
46%
San Francisco
2004
22%
Wilmington
1995
46%
Seattle
2000
21%
Sarasota
2001
45%
Las Vegas
2005
14%
York
1999
45%
NJPS 1
2000
40%
Richmond
1994
45%
1
Middlesex
2008
44%
NJPS 2000 data are for the more
Jewishly-connected sample.
Table 2
Current Membership in the Local Jewish Community Center
Community Comparisons
Base: Jew ish Households
Community
Year
%
Community
Year
%
St. Paul
2004
36%
Atlanta
2006
10%
Charlotte
1997
36%
Miami (Russell) *
2004
10%
Harrisburg
1994
31%
Washington (DCJCC) *
2003
10%
San Antonio
2007
29%
Rhode Island
2002
10%
Rochester
1999
28%
Bergen (YJCC) *
2001
10%
York
1999
27%
St. Petersburg
1994
10%
Monmouth (Deal) *
1997
27%
Philadelphia
1997
8%
Jacksonville
2002
26%
W Palm Beach (Kaplan) *
2005
7%
Cleveland
1996
24%
Broward (Posnack) *
1997
6%
Milwaukee
1996
24%
W Palm Beach (Boynton) *
2005
5%
St. Louis
1995
24%
Miami (Miami Beach) * „
2004
5%
Richmond
1994
24%
Washington (NOVA) *
2003
5%
Pittsburgh
2002
23%
Seattle
2000
5%
Wilmington
1995
23%
Monmouth (Western) * „
1997
5%
Hartford
2000
22%
S Palm Beach
2005
4%
Bergen (Palisades) *
2001
21%
Las Vegas „
2005
3%
Tidewater
2001
19%
iddlesex
2008
2%
2000
1%
1997
1%
1
Lehigh Valley
2007
18%
Westport
Minneapolis
2004
17%
Broward (Soref) *
Tucson
2002
17%
Total in Communities with 2+ JCCs
Orlando
1993
17%
Bergen
2001
18%
Detroit
2005
15%
Monmouth
1997
13%
Atlantic County
2004
14%
Miami
2004
11%
New York
2002
14%
Washington
2003
9%
Miami (Alper) *
2004
13%
W Palm Beach
2005
7%
San Francisco
2004
13%
Broward
1997
4%
Sarasota
2001
12%
NJPS 2
2000
18%
Washington (Gr. Wash) *
2003
11%
See footnotes to Table 7-20.
Los Angeles
1997
11%
Table 3
Average Household Size
Community Comparisons
Community
Year
Average 1
Community
Year
Average 1
Howard County
1999
3.09
Essex-Morris
1998
2.49
Monmouth
1997
2.79
Lehigh Valley
2007
2.46
Portland (ME)
2007
2.75
Denver
2007
2.45
Bergen
2001
2.75
Milwaukee
1996
2.44
Buffalo
1995
2.74
Washington
2003
2.43
Baltimore
1999
2.73
Phoenix
2002
2.43
Westport
2000
2.72
Philadelphia
1997
2.43
Columbus
2001
2.70
Jacksonville
2002
2.42
Harrisburg
1994
2.68
Rhode Island
2002
2.41
Charlotte
1997
2.66
St. Louis
1995
2.41
Wilmington
1995
2.66
Chicago
2000
2.38
Cincinnati
2008
2.64
Seattle
2000
2.38
Cleveland
1996
2.62
Middlesex
2008
2.36
Detroit
2005
2.6
San Francisco
2004
2.32
St. Paul
2004
2.6
St. Petersburg
1994
2.32
New York
2002
2.59
Atlantic County
2004
2.31
Pittsburgh
2002
2.59
Miami
2004
2.25
York
1999
2.59
Martin-St. Lucie
1999
2.15
Orlando
1993
2.59
Tucson
2002
2.14
San Diego
2003
2.57
Las Vegas
2005
2.13
Atlanta
2006
2.56
Palm Springs
1998
2.02
Minneapolis
2004
2.55
Broward
1997
2.02
Tidewater
2001
2.55
W Palm Beach
2005
1.99
Richmond
1994
2.55
Sarasota
2001
1.99
Boston
2005
2.52
S Palm Beach
2005
1.87
Rochester
1999
2.51
NJPS
2000
2.31
Hartford
2000
2.5
U.S. Census
2007
2.61
Los Angeles
1997
2.5
1
San Antonio
2007
2.49
Average number of persons in Jewish
households.
Table 4
Persons in Jewish Households Who Are Jewish
Community Comparisons
Base: Persons in Jew ish Households
Community
Year
%
Community
Year
%
S Palm Beach
2005
96%
San Antonio
2007
81%
Miami
2004
93%
St. Paul
2004
81%
Middlesex
2008
92%
Rochester
1999
81%
Detroit
2005
92%
Orlando
1993
81%
Bergen
2001
92%
Washington
2003
80%
Baltimore
1999
91%
Jacksonville
2002
80%
Cleveland
1996
91%
Rhode Island
2002
80%
W Palm Beach
2005
90%
Howard County
1999
80%
Monmouth
1997
90%
Boston
2005
79%
St. Louis
1995
90%
Tidewater
2001
79%
Sarasota
2001
89%
Wilmington
1995
79%
Broward
1997
89%
Richmond
1994
79%
Hartford
2000
88%
Phoenix
2002
78%
Atlantic County
2004
87%
Pittsburgh
2002
78%
Palm Springs
1998
87%
Tucson
2002
78%
Martin-St. Lucie
1999
86%
Atlanta
2006
76%
New York
2002
85%
Las Vegas
2005
76%
Philadelphia
1997
85%
York
1999
76%
Westport
2000
84%
San Diego
2003
75%
Los Angeles
1997
84%
Essex-Morris
1998
74%
Buffalo
1995
84%
Charlotte
1997
73%
Chicago
2000
83%
Denver
2007
72%
Milwaukee
1996
83%
San Francisco
2004
72%
St. Petersburg
1994
83%
Portland (ME)
2007
71%
Cincinnati
2008
82%
Seattle
2000
70%
Lehigh Valley
2007
82%
Columbus
2001
69%
Minneapolis
2004
82%
NJPS
2000
78%
Harrisburg
1994
82%
The North American Jewish Data Bank
State Cover Page
Your Name:
State:
Community
Date:
Institution
Name
Type of
Institution *
Contact
Name
Phone
E-mail
* O = Orthodox, C = Conservative, R = Reform, Rec = Reconstructionist, Fed = Jewish Federation, JCC = Jewish Community Center
Completed?
The North American Jewish Data Bank
Contact Calling Record
Use one form for each contact in a community
Your Name:
State:
Community:
Contact Name:
Phone:
Date of Call
E-mail:
Time of Call
Result
Try calling both day and night. Never call on Friday after 4 PM or anytime on Saturday or on any Jewish
holiday.
The North American Jewish Data Bank
Contact Reporting Form
Use one form for each contact in a community
Your Name:
State:
Contact Name:
Institutional Affiliation of Contact:
Define Community Boundaries:
Current Estimate:
Year of Current Estimate:
Fill in the above prior to making the contact.
Question
1a) # households on com m unity-wide list
1b) List synagogues and households
2) % households spend < 8 m onths in area
3) % Synagogue m em bership (Table 1)
4) # of JCC m em ber households (Table 2)
5) Mostly younger or older
6) Household size estim ate (Table 3)
7) % couples interm arried
8) % in Jewish households who are Jewish
(Table 4)
9) Respondents best guesstim ate
10) Add contacts to state cover page
Comments:
Response