Gender and Religious Identity Analysis

Project Overview

This project analysed data from the Young Life and Times Survey, a repeated cross-sectional survey of 16-year-olds in Northern Ireland.

The main objective was to investigate whether gender was associated with the level of importance respondents attributed to their religious identity.

Research Question

Does gender influence how important religious identity is considered by young people in Northern Ireland?

The project also explored whether the observed differences changed across survey years.

Approach

I prepared and explored the survey data, paying particular attention to missing responses, variable definitions and the repeated cross-sectional design of the study.

The distribution of religious identity importance was compared between male and female respondents through percentages and visualisations.

A chi-square test was used to evaluate whether the two categorical variables were associated. Cramér’s V was also considered to assess the strength of the relationship, since statistical significance alone does not indicate whether an effect is meaningful.

Tableau was used to present the overall response distribution, gender comparisons and changes across survey years.

Analytical Considerations

Because the survey contains different respondents in each year, changes over time should be interpreted as population-level trends rather than changes in the same individuals.

Missing values and the unweighted nature of the available dataset were also considered when interpreting the results.

Outcome

This project developed my experience working with real survey data and reinforced the importance of combining statistical results with careful interpretation and clear visual communication.

Tools

Python · Chi-Square Testing · Cramér’s V · Tableau · Survey Data Analysis · Data Visualisation