Alex Bass · Mormon Metrics (Substack)

Bass uses Cooperative Election Study data (9,189 LDS respondents; 370,000 U.S. Christians) to test whether two-year missionary service raises long-run devotion. He finds a distinct "devotion bump" in young-adult LDS members that has no equivalent in the broader U.S. Christian population, peaking around the typical post-mission age.
Substack blog analysis; cross-sectional CES data cannot establish causation — selection effects (who serves missions) likely contribute to the bump alongside any missionary effect.
Source: https://mormonmetrics.com/p/do-mormon-missions-work
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Bass, A. (2025). Do Mormon Missions Work?. Mormon Metrics (Substack). https://mormonmetrics.com/p/do-mormon-missions-work
Alex Bass. "Do Mormon Missions Work?." Mormon Metrics (Substack), 2025. https://mormonmetrics.com/p/do-mormon-missions-work.
@article{bass_2025_do_mormon_missions_work,
title = {Do Mormon Missions Work?},
author = {Alex Bass},
year = {2025},
journal = {Mormon Metrics (Substack)},
url = {https://mormonmetrics.com/p/do-mormon-missions-work},
}Report an error on this study.
Two Kinds Of Growth: Worldwide LDS Membership Growth Over 14 Years
Alex Bass