The 2014 Study · The Full Quantitative Sample

Four Hundred
Women

The thesis analyzed the 257 women who completed the survey in full. But 143 more American female converts completed the quantitative portion in its entirety. Placed side by side, and then added together, they form 400 complete quantitative datasets. Every chart below shows all three: the 257, the 143, and the combined 400, so you can see both whether the 257 were representative and what the full sample says.

How the sample divides

Every figure below traces to the survey's own response counts. Nothing is estimated.

459

total responses to the survey

The women who answered the call.

281

complete responses

Of these, 257 self-identified as U.S. female converts; 24 answered no.

178

partial responses

Of these, 143 self-identified as American female converts and finished the quantitative section.

400

complete quantitative datasets

257 + 143. The full sample, reported as its own column throughout this page.

Why this comparison matters

A larger dataset, and a test of the smaller one

The 143 women never completed the qualitative questions, so their voices do not appear in the thesis. But they answered the same demographic questions, which makes them valuable twice over. First, they are an independent check: if the two groups look alike, then the 257 were not an unusual subset of the unusually articulate or the unusually wounded, and every qualitative finding drawn from them stands on firmer ground. Second, because both groups were screened by the same two questions, their answers can legitimately be pooled, giving a combined sample of 400 and a correspondingly firmer set of figures. Where the two groups differ, that difference is itself worth naming.

The clearest convergence

55%

were single, never married at the time of their shahāda

141 of the 257 79 of the 143 220 of all 400

Each group was counted separately, and each landed on the same figure. When two subsamples that completed different amounts of the survey agree this precisely, it is strong evidence that the 257 women of the thesis represent the wider pool of respondents faithfully.

Side by side

The 257, the 143, and all 400

A sampling of the socio-demographic data for the 257 anonymous American female converts who responded to both the quantitative and qualitative sections, the 143 anonymous American female converts who responded to the quantitative questions only, and the two groups combined. Every block carries a Total row and a data table so the counts can be added up and checked.

The 257 · completed both portions The 143 · quantitative only All 400 · combined

Screening: are you an American convert to Islam?

Denominators · 257 · 143 · combined 400 · The first of the two screening questions

The 257The 143All 400Fills are drawn on a true 0 to 100% scale

	The 257	The 143	All 400
Yes	100%n=257	100%n=143	100%n=400
No	0%n=0	0%n=0	0%n=0
Total	100%n=257	100%n=143	100%n=400

Note

Every woman counted anywhere on this page answered yes. Nobody who answered no appears in either cohort.

Screening: gender

Denominators · 257 · 143 · combined 400 · The second of the two screening questions

The 257The 143All 400Fills are drawn on a true 0 to 100% scale

	The 257	The 143	All 400
Female	100%n=257	100%n=143	100%n=400
Male	0%n=0	0%n=0	0%n=0
Total	100%n=257	100%n=143	100%n=400

Note

Both cohorts are entirely female. Together with the question above, this is what makes the two groups directly comparable and the combined 400 column legitimate: the same population, screened by the same two questions, differing only in how much of the survey they completed.

Marital status at the time of conversion

Denominators · 257 · 143 · combined 400 · All categories shown

The 257The 143All 400Fills are drawn on a true 0 to 100% scale

	The 257	The 143	All 400
Single, never married	55%n=141	55%n=79	55%n=220
Single with children	5%n=13	10%n=14	6.8%n=27
Engaged	4%n=11	4%n=6	4.3%n=17
Married without children	7%n=18	8%n=11	7.2%n=29
Married with children	9%n=23	8%n=11	8.5%n=34
Divorced	9%n=22	8%n=12	8.5%n=34
Divorced with children	9%n=23	6%n=8	7.8%n=31
Separated	2%n=6	1%n=1	1.8%n=7
Widowed	0%n=0	1%n=1	0.3%n=1
Total	100%n=257	100%n=143	100%n=400

Note

Taking every status that is not a marriage together (single never married, single with children, divorced, divorced with children, separated): 205 of the 257 (79.8%), 114 of the 143 (79.7%), and 319 of the 400 (79.8%). All three cohorts land on the same figure, and it is this count of 319 women that stands behind the study’s 80% finding.

Current marital status

Denominators · 257 · 143 · combined 400 · At the time of the survey

The 257The 143All 400Fills are drawn on a true 0 to 100% scale

	The 257	The 143	All 400
Single, never married	14%n=35	18%n=26	15.3%n=61
Single with children	3%n=8	5%n=7	3.8%n=15
Engaged	4%n=10	5%n=7	4.3%n=17
Married without children	18%n=46	15%n=22	17%n=68
Married with children	39%n=101	37%n=53	38.5%n=154
Divorced	10.5%n=27	8%n=12	9.8%n=39
Divorced with children	10%n=26	8%n=12	9.5%n=38
Separated	0.75%n=2	1%n=1	0.8%n=3
Widowed	0.75%n=2	2%n=3	1.3%n=5
Total	100%n=257	100%n=143	100%n=400

Note

Taking both married categories together, 147 of the 257 (57.2%), 75 of the 143 (52.4%), and 222 of the 400 (55.5%) were married at the time of the survey. Set against the status at conversion above, where 55% were single and never married, this is the clearest movement in the dataset: these women largely came to Islam unmarried and married afterward.

Race and ethnicity

Denominators · 257 · 143 · combined 400 · Self-identified, open-ended, quantified by hand

The 257The 143All 400Fills are drawn on a true 0 to 100% scale

	The 257	The 143	All 400
Caucasian or White	53%n=136	50%n=71	51.7%n=207
African American or Black	20%n=51	19%n=27	19.5%n=78
Hispanic or Latina	7%n=17	13%n=19	9%n=36
2+ races or ethnicities	14%n=37	8%n=12	12.3%n=49
Asian	2%n=6	2%n=3	2.3%n=9
Native American	0.4%n=1	2%n=3	1%n=4
Other	4%n=9	6%n=8	4.3%n=17
Total	100%n=257	100%n=143	100%n=400

Note

2+ races or ethnicities and Hispanic or Latina move in opposite directions by almost the same amount, and in both cohorts the two categories together total exactly 21%. Because both were quantified by hand from open-ended, self-identified answers, the likeliest explanation is a coding boundary drawn slightly differently between the two passes, not a genuine difference between the women.

Age at the time of conversion

Denominators · 257 · 143 · combined 400 · All categories shown

The 257The 143All 400Fills are drawn on a true 0 to 100% scale

	The 257	The 143	All 400
Less than 16	2%n=6	1%n=2	2%n=8
16 to 19	16%n=42	14%n=20	15.5%n=62
20 to 24	28%n=72	34%n=49	30.3%n=121
25 to 34	35%n=90	34%n=49	34.8%n=139
35 to 44	10%n=26	9%n=13	9.8%n=39
45 to 54	5%n=12	6%n=9	5.3%n=21
55 to 64	3%n=8	1%n=1	2.3%n=9
65 or over	0.4%n=1	0%n=0	0.3%n=1
Total	100%n=257	100%n=143	100%n=400

Note

Across the full sample, 330 of the 400 (82.5%) took their shahāda before the age of 35.

Belief prior to conversion to Islam

Denominators · 257 · 143 · combined 400 · Self-identified, open-ended, quantified by hand

The 257The 143All 400Fills are drawn on a true 0 to 100% scale

	The 257	The 143	All 400
Christian	76.3%n=196	68.5%n=98	73.5%n=294
Agnostic	5%n=13	11.9%n=17	7.5%n=30
Atheist	2.7%n=7	2.8%n=4	2.8%n=11
Buddhist	1.2%n=3	0%n=0	0.8%n=3
Jewish	3.9%n=10	1.4%n=2	3%n=12
None	3.9%n=10	4.9%n=7	4.3%n=17
Other	7%n=18	10.5%n=15	8.3%n=33
Total	100%n=257	100%n=143	100%n=400

Note

Christianity is by far the most common starting point: 294 of the 400 (73.5%), rising to 306 (76.5%) from an Abrahamic tradition once the twelve former Jewish respondents are counted. A meaningful minority arrived from no religious commitment at all: taking agnostic, atheist, and none together, 58 of the 400 (14.5%). This is also the item where the two cohorts diverge most. Agnostic is more than twice as common among the 143 (11.9% against 5%), with Christian correspondingly lower (68.5% against 76.3%), so the 143 arrived from a somewhat less churched starting point.

Branches of Christianity prior to conversion

Denominators · 257 · 143 · combined 294 · The former Christians only · 257 group n=196 · 143 group n=98

The 257The 143All 400Fills are drawn on a true 0 to 100% scale

	The 257	The 143	All 400
Protestant	63.26%n=124	62%n=61	62.9%n=185
Roman Catholic	29.6%n=58	32%n=31	30.3%n=89
Anglican	2.55%n=5	0%n=0	1.7%n=5
Mormon	1.53%n=3	2%n=2	1.7%n=5
Jehovah's Witness	0.51%n=1	1%n=1	0.7%n=2
Seventh Day Adventist	1.02%n=2	0%n=0	0.7%n=2
Unitarian Universalist	1.53%n=3	3%n=3	2%n=6
Total	100%n=196	100%n=98	100%n=294

Note

Protestant and Roman Catholic backgrounds account for almost the whole picture: 274 of the 294 former Christians (93.2%) came from one or the other. Protestant alone is 185 (62.9%) and Roman Catholic 89 (30.3%), and the two cohorts agree closely on both. Every remaining branch is in single figures.

Branches of Islam

Denominators · 257 · 143 · combined 400 · All categories shown

The 257The 143All 400Fills are drawn on a true 0 to 100% scale

	The 257	The 143	All 400
Sunni	51.75%n=133	63%n=90	55.8%n=223
Sunni-Sufi	11.28%n=29	9.8%n=14	10.8%n=43
Sufi	10.5%n=27	3.5%n=5	8%n=32
Shiʿa	6.25%n=16	3.5%n=5	5.3%n=21
Shiʿa-Sunni	1.55%n=4	0%n=0	1%n=4
Shiʿa-Sufi	1.55%n=4	0.7%n=1	1.3%n=5
Shiʿa-Sunni-Sufi	0.77%n=2	0.7%n=1	0.8%n=3
Nation of Islam	2.33%n=6	2.8%n=4	2.5%n=10
Nation of Islam-Sunni	0.77%n=2	0%n=0	0.5%n=2
Other	13.25%n=34	16%n=23	14.2%n=57
Total	100%n=257	100%n=143	100%n=400

Note

All Sunni-inclusive categories together: 66.1% of the 257 (n=170), 73.4% of the 143 (n=105), and 68.8% of the 400 (n=275). All Sufi-inclusive categories together: 24.1% of the 257 (n=62), 14.7% of the 143 (n=21), and 20.8% of the 400 (n=83).

Highest level of education completed

Denominators · 257 · 143 · combined 400 · All categories shown

The 257The 143All 400Fills are drawn on a true 0 to 100% scale

	The 257	The 143	All 400
K-8th	0%n=0	0%n=0	0%n=0
Some high school	0%n=0	0.7%n=1	0.3%n=1
High School / GED	5%n=13	7%n=10	5.8%n=23
Some college	16%n=42	19.5%n=28	17.5%n=70
Trade school	6%n=15	7%n=10	6.3%n=25
A.A. / A.S.	11%n=29	9.8%n=14	10.8%n=43
B.A. / B.S.	32%n=81	33.5%n=48	32.3%n=129
M.A. / M.S.	26%n=68	19%n=27	23.8%n=95
Ph.D.	4%n=9	3.5%n=5	3.5%n=14
Total	100%n=257	100%n=143	100%n=400

Note

These are highly educated women. Across the full sample, 95 of the 400 (23.8%) hold a master’s degree and 14 (3.5%) hold a doctorate, so 109 (27.3%) hold a graduate degree. Another 129 (32.3%) hold a bachelor’s, bringing those with a bachelor’s or higher to 238 of the 400 (59.5%). Add the 43 (10.8%) holding an associate’s degree and 281 of the 400 (70.3%) hold an associate’s degree or higher, with a further 70 (17.5%) having completed some college.

Length of time as a Muslim

Denominators · 257 · 143 · combined 400 · At the time of the survey

The 257The 143All 400Fills are drawn on a true 0 to 100% scale

	The 257	The 143	All 400
0 to 3 years	25%n=66	31%n=45	27.8%n=111
4 to 7 years	22%n=56	27%n=38	23.5%n=94
8 to 11 years	13%n=33	10%n=15	12%n=48
12 to 15 years	14%n=36	14%n=20	14%n=56
16 to 19 years	8%n=20	4%n=6	6.5%n=26
20+ years	18%n=46	13%n=19	16.3%n=65
Total	100%n=257	100%n=143	100%n=400

Note

Across the full sample, 205 of the 400 (51.3%) were within their first seven years as a Muslim when they answered.

Geographic reach

The 143 · respondent locations across the United States

The 143

Map of the United States showing the locations of the 143 respondents, with markers concentrated in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Great Lakes region, and California, and representation in the Mountain West, Pacific Northwest, and Southwest.

Note

The 143 wrote in from across the continental United States, concentrated in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Great Lakes region, and California, with representation in the Mountain West, Pacific Northwest, and Southwest. The geographic reach of the 257 is mapped on the Demographics page. The two maps are presented separately because the source charts plot locations rather than counts, so no paired percentage can be given.

How to read this

Across marital status, age at conversion, education, and the broad shape of prior religious background, the two groups track closely, often within a point or two. Single, never married at conversion is identical at 55%. Caucasian or White (53% and 50%), African American or Black (20% and 19%), Asian (2% and 2%), Atheist (2.7% and 2.8%), and Ph.D. (4% and 3.5%) are all nearly interchangeable. That similarity is the finding: two groups who chose different levels of participation nevertheless describe the same population.

Four differences deserve naming honestly rather than smoothing over. Agnostic before conversion is more than twice as common among the 143 (11.9% against 5%), while Christian is correspondingly lower (68.5% against 76.3%), so the 143 arrived from a somewhat less churched starting point. The 143 also skew newer to Islam (31% within their first three years, against 25%) and report Sunni affiliation more often (63% against 51.8%). Each is plausible if the women who stopped before the long qualitative questions were, on average, earlier in a journey they had less language for yet. Those are hypotheses, not conclusions, and they are exactly the questions a follow-up study can answer.

The apparent gap in Hispanic or Latina and 2+ races or ethnicities is treated separately above; the two categories sum to 21% in both cohorts, which points to a hand-coding boundary rather than a difference between the women.

A note on the data

All figures are drawn from the original 2014 survey conducted as part of M.A. thesis research at the University of Georgia under IRB-approved protocol. The thesis analyzed the 257 respondents who completed both the quantitative and qualitative portions. The 143 figures presented here come from the survey's partial responses, of the 178 partial responses received, 143 self-identified as American female converts to Islam and completed the quantitative section in its entirety.

For the purposes of increased validity, a majority of these tables are direct imports from Qualtrics with few exceptions. Those exceptions arose from open-ended questions requiring quantification: race and ethnicity, belief prior to Islam, and branches of Christianity prior to conversion. Open-ended phrasing let respondents self-identify rather than be forced into fixed categories, which in many cases would not produce accurate representations.

Every percentage on this page prints the denominator it rests on, every block carries a Total row, and every block carries a data table beneath the bars so the counts can be added up by hand. The combined 400 column is the simple sum of the two cohorts' response counts divided by the combined total; it is reported only because both groups were screened by the same two questions and answered the same items. The 257 figures reproduced here are the same ones published on the Demographics and All Charts pages. Not every category is included, this page presents a sampling.