For rigorous empirical study of religion to move forward, improved data on religious demographics of states’ populations, with more extensive and consistent coverage, become essential. The Religious Characteristics of States (RCS) data set project provides annual data on religious demographics for ninety-seven denominations, from 2010 back to as early as 1800 (approximately 6.7 million data points). Unlike existing data sets, RCS matches the temporal coverage of the Correlates of War and Polity data sets and is structured for easy merger with them. Illustrations of RCS’s capabilities include measurements of religions’ associations with regime type, wealth, and conflict. Religious characteristics emerge as significant state-level variables and rival other factors conventionally thought to influence political processes and outcomes. The results encourage further research using RCS on a wide range of problems within international relations and comparative politics.
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