The JW-MAP (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Motivations, Attitudes, Practices) research project is dedicated to exploring the existence of a gap between the beliefs and behaviors of JWs and their perception by the general public. Beliefs and behaviors were measured through a questionnaire distributed to JWs, while public perceptions were measured through a YouGov survey and social media research. The research covers six countries. At this meeting data from Argentina and Canada will be presented and discussed with the aim of helping to dispel the stereotypes that have hindered the integration of JWs into the social fabric and legal systems governing state-religion relations.
This paper has two purposes: it examines survey methodologies for researching minority religious communities, taking the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Motivations, Attitudes, Practices (JW-MAP) surveys as a case study; and then reports a comparative analysis of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Canada and Argentina. Analyzing responses from c. 2,000 Witnesses in each country, the paper compares religious belief, belonging, bonding, and behavior, examining differences in socialization pathways, religious motivations, and social networks as potential correlates of differences. Argentina’s predominantly Catholic context contrasts with Canada’s more diverse religious context and constitutional framework, providing useful contextual variation. Findings summarize national differences – and commonalities – in the religiosity of Jehovah’s Witnesses. By comparing Witnesses to broader population samples, the paper also provides evidence on their religious and social distinctiveness. The evidence presented here contributes to understanding of the evolving religious landscape, and the social space of Jehovah’s Witnesses within different national contexts.
Research on Jehovah’s Witnesses in Canada often uses American data to analyze their status. Although the two countries share many legal values and cultural pluralism, Canada is very different in its management of religious diversity and its interpretation of religious freedom. Our research attempts to paint an objective portrait of the JWs through court decisions and does the same for the social integration of the communities. To do so, we distinguish the court decisions between three different periods and follow the evolution of the JWs as a religious group. We will cross-reference these results with social perceptions of the JWs. The results may provide a better understanding of the underlying gaps.
Jehovah’s Witnesses have a long history in Argentina, arriving in the early 20th century. They faced two periods of religious prohibition, but with democracy’s return, their presence gradually gained acceptance. Today, they experience “low-key integration,” publicly practicing their faith without reprisals. However, challenges persist, particularly regarding blood transfusion objections and resistance to patriotic symbols. This paper examines the Argentinean context in comparison to other countries. It draws on data from the JW-MAP (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Motivations, Attitudes, Practices) project, which conducted three surveys across six nations. These include a member survey, a YouTube presence and reactions analysis, and a YouGov survey. By analyzing these sources, we aim to explore different forms of social integration of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Argentina and how they compare to global trends.
This study investigates and assesses the prevailing attitudes towards Jehovah’s Witnesses on social media platforms in six different countries (Argentina, Canada, France, Japan, Nigeria, United Kingdom) over a five-year period. It does so by closely analyzing the portrayal of the organization on various YouTube channels native to these countries. By drawing on critical theories in social media studies, it specifically inquires into how the content of videos and social interactions on these channels depict the organization, its leadership, practices, and its core beliefs. It outlines how these representations seem strategically crafted to impact the organization’s active members and broader societal influence, legal viability, and theological visibility. The research used web scraping Python codes to collect data and qualitative methods, R Studio and various Python libraries to meticulously analyze and interpret results.