About the statistics

1. Administrative information

1.1. Name

KOSTRA (Municipality-State-Reporting): Church

1.2. Subject group

07.02.10 - Membership in organizations, religious and philosophical communities

1.3. Frequency and timeliness

KOSTRA:Church key figures are published annually on the 15th March (unrevised figures) and 15th of June (revised figures).

1.4. Regional level

The figures are published on both national and regional level (municipality), as well as the level of dioceses.

1.5. Responsible division

360 - Division for education statistics

1.6. Legal authority

Statistics Norway carries out this task on behalf of the Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs with legal authority in the Act on the Church (kirkeloven) §9, the last section. Statistics Norway can make use of the collected data for official statistical purposes with legal basis in the Statistics Act.

1.7. Legal document(EU)

Not relevant.

1.8. International reporting

Not relevant.

2. Background and purpose

2.1. Purpose and history

As far as the statistical year 2004 the annual statistics of the parishes were collected at paper schemes of the Norwegian Social Science Data Services (NSD) and published in the Ecclesiastical Database. As of the year 2005 the collection of data is electronic and is reported through the web-portal of SSB. The purpose of this statics is to give information about the activity in the parishes of the Church of Norway.

2.2. Users and applications

Important users of the Church statistics is the Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs (FAD), Ministry of Culture (KUD), Church of Norway National Council, dioceses, the joint parish councils, other ecclesiastical organisations related to Dnk, as well as for researchers and media. This statistics is also relevant in connection to other statistics in SSB. For instance, membership in Religious and life stance communities outside the Church of Norway, Church accounts statistics and Register-based Employment Statistics for the Church of Norway.

3. Statistics production

3.1. Population

This statistics includes all geographical parishes in the Church of Norway, not included Svalbard. The statistics do not include church affairs aboard or at institutions as hosptital and prisons, the church for the deaf, army chaplains and others having their own registers. Every parochial church council in cooperation with the vicar is responsible for reporting the data. The reporting unit is the parishes. The annual statistics include information on the number of baptisms, confirmations, enrolments and resignations of Church membership, number of services, congregation numbers, communicant numbers, collection takings, activities for children and teenagers, diaconal and ecumenical work in the parishes, cultural work etc. The main point of the statistics is the activity that the vicars, the parochial church council and the employed are responsible to.

3.2. Data sources

KOSTRA: Church uses data from several sources, among other from the municipality accounts, the membership register of the Church of Norway and several registers for employment figures. The annual statistics are collected via KOSTRA, scheme 28, “Annual statistics for the Church of Norway”.

3.3. Sampling

Including the whole population (parish).

3.4. Collection of data

Data is collected electronically once every year from each parish, and the information should be available for Statistics Norway by 1st of February.

3.5. Control and revision

The electronic forms contain built-in consistency checks and logical tests. After arrival data are checked automatically and manually.

3.6. Estimation

Not relevant.

3.7. Confidentiality

Not relevant.

4. Concepts, variables and classifications

4.1. Definitions of the main concepts and variables

The reporting unit is the parish. According to the Church of Norway Act the parish is the basic unit. In every parish there should be a parochial church council. In municipalities with more than one parish there should be a joint parish council. According to this Act a register should be provided over baptisms, confirmations, enrolments and resignations of Church membership, number of marriages and funerals performed by a vicar in the Church of Norway. Marriages only include ecclesiastical marriages performed in Norway. For a total number of marriages, look to Population statistics.

 

4.2. Standard classifications

Not relevant.

5. Sources of error and uncertainty

5.1. Measurement and processing errors

Errors can occur when the form is filled out manually. Most errors are discoverd by revising controls and will be corrected. The possibility of errors by measuring in the parishes can also happen. Most of the information from the church book, the daily register etc. will be correct. Some errors may still occur.

5.2 Non-response errors

All the units are included in the statistics. For 2010 the number of parishes was 1257.

5.3. Sampling errors

Not relevant.

5.4. Other sources of error

Not relevant.

6. Comparability and coherence

6.1. Comparability over time and space

At the time of a new way of reporting system in 2005, it was also worked out a new scheme with simplified questions compared to former schemes. This change complicates comparisons with former years on municipality level, but at national level the continuity is good. The most important questions are continued pursued over the years.

6.2. Coherence with other statistics

Church statistics are also relevant in connection with other statistics in Statistics Norway.Such as the statistics for Religious and life stance communities, Church account statistics for the joint parish councils and the Employment statistics for the Church.

 

7. Availability

For more figure follow the link to the StatBank Norway to the left on the web-site.

7.1. Publications and other links

The statistics are published electronically in SSB at Internet,  Today’s Statistics. Tables are also available in the StatBank. Some tables are also published in the publication Culture Statistics. The Ecclesiastical Database at NSD also publishes church statistics: http://www.nsd.uib.no/data/region/kirke/

7.2. Microdata

Mikro data are stored in accordance with the instruction of The Data Inspectorate.

 


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