The full survey is here: http://publicreligion.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/AAPOR-2014-Final.pdf
Claiming to do what is socially desirable isn't unique to religion, of course, but the religious aspect does add a certain hypocritical whiff. As a church leader, this survey would worry me most (aside from concerns about the moral rectitude of the congregants) because social desirability / acceptability is one of those things that can fairly abruptly (cf. the weather change in US attitudes regarding marriage between gays), and when it does that might suddenly change some of the social pressures holding that those other groups to in their categories, too.
Study | “I Know What You Did Last Sunday” Finds Americans Significantly Inflate Religious Participation
A new PRRI study, “I Know What You Did Last Sunday: Measuring Social Desirability Bias in Self-Reported Religious Behavior, Belief, and Belonging,” shows that every subgroup of Americans measured over-reports their levels of religious participation, with young adults, Catholics and white mainline Protestants particularly likely to inflate the frequency of their attendance at religious services.
I didn’t think much of the first questions found in the PDF. I am Episcopalian. I do not identify as “Protestant.” I identify as Episcopalian.
“Would you describe yourself as a “born again” or evangelical Christian, or not?”
All baptized Christians have been “born again,” by virtue of the sacrament of Baptism. So, another question not possible for me to answer.
I’m sure people do exaggerate, but frankly, I’ve not yet found one of these polls that I would describe as accurate.
@Ellie – Anglican/Episcopalians are quite definitely Protestant (indeed, PECUSA used to be our old official name), though a rather special branch of them. I don’t usually think of myself as Protestant, true, but after a moment’s thought as to which bucket I fit into, that’s how I’d answer.
On the other hand, I think “born again” has a greater association through evangelicals / pentacostals with something beyond infant (or even adult) baptism as we administer in the Episcopal church. You are technically correct, but I don’t think most people would answer that way.