PHOENIX (ABP) — Protestants in the United States are about as loyal to their brand of toothpaste as their denomination, according to one research firm.
A new poll by Ellison Research asked churchgoers who attend worship services at least once a month the denomination of the church they most often attend. Instead of broad terms like Baptist or Methodist, the survey asked for specific denominational brands, like “Southern Baptist” or “Free Will Baptist.”
Researchers then asked respondents what role that denomination would play if they had to find a new church.
Just 16 percent of Protestants surveyed said they are loyal exclusively to one denomination, while half — 51 percent — preferred one denomination but would be open to another. By comparison, 22 percent of Protestants said they would use only one brand of toothpaste, and 42 percent indicated a preference for one brand while being open to others.
Similar levels of brand loyalty exist for bathroom tissue, with 19 percent who would consider only one brand and 40 percent with a preferred brand; pain reliever, with 16 percent and 42 percent, respectively; and soft drinks, with 4 percent and 56 percent.
Ron Sellers, president of Ellison Research, said religious denominations face what most companies face in trying to develop brand loyalty — consumers with many different options who may not perceive strong differences among them.
“Church denominations certainly are not the same as hotels or soft drinks, but some of the same rules apply,” Sellers said.
“The brands that develop stronger loyalty tend to do a better job of differentiating themselves from other brands and demonstrating key elements of the brand very clearly.”
Bill Leonard, dean of the divinity school at Wake Forest University, called the research a “bizarre, yet telling, illustration” of what scholars have known for decades.
“Fewer religious Americans think of their primary religious identity in terms of a denominational identity,” Leonard said. “Loyalty to local congregations as the primary source of religious identity seems to be increasingly normative. … Many folks can switch denominations as readily as toothpaste, I suspect.”
Six in 10 active Catholics said they would attend only one denomination, but researchers said the gap between Protestants and Catholics on the issue might be due less to brand loyalty than the number of choices.
Unlike Catholics, Protestants in the United States can choose from many denominational groups similar in doctrine and practice.
People who worship at non-denominational churches show higher loyalty to remaining nondenominational than other Protes-tants show to their mother church.
Twenty-nine percent of current nondenominational worshipers said they would attend only a non-denominational church, while 32 percent said they had a preference but would consider joining a church affiliated with a denomination.
Evangelicals were a little more sectarian than Protestants in general. Nineteen percent said they would consider only one denomination, 50 percent have a preference but wouldn't rule out a different choice, and 11 percent said they don't really pay attention to the denomination when they consider what church to attend.
Overall, 11 percent of Americans said they have a small number of denominations they would consider, with no particular preference among them.
Another 6 percent said they had no particular preference, but there are some denominations they would avoid. Nine percent said the denomination doesn't matter.
Ellison said denominational leaders “face many of the same challenges as do the leaders of brands such as Coke, Chevrolet or Home Depot” in attracting worshippers.