The National Catholic Review  Whether Mitt Romney wins the
Republican nomination for the presidency or not, his serious-
contender candidacy has sparked an explosion of empirical
research on Mormons in the United States. In due course, this
research should serve not only to enhance public respect for the
Mormon minority, but also to give Catholics some clues about how
to strengthen their own faith community.  In a report issued in
January 2012, “Mormons in America: Certain of Their Beliefs,
Uncertain of Their Place in Society,” a research team
representing the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found
that most Mormons are regular churchgoers and that more Mormons
(73 percent) believe that “working to help the poor” is
“essential to being a good Mormon” than believe the same thing
about “not drinking coffee and tea” (49 percent).  According to
a new study previewed on March 15 by an expert panel convened at
Pew’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., most members of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint