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SALT LAKE CITY - As media coverage of Latter-day Saint culture rises, national awareness appears to remain the same.
A study performed by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life surveyed a random sample of Americans in 2007, asking them for their thoughts about Mormonism and the LDS religion.
A follow-up study was done in the same manner in 2011, which showed little change in the national perspective of the culture.
The Pew Forum has established itself as one of the most credible sources for scholarly research in the fields of religion and religious culture.
Its 2007 and 2011 surveys contained a question asking participants to summarize the Mormon religion in one word. Responses varied, but the words "cult" and "strange" appeared in increased frequency, along with "odd", "weird", and "confused".
Deseret News analyst Lane Williams says media coverage of the religion has intensified in recent years, largely due in part to the political aspirations of Gov. Mitt Romney and Utah Gov. Jon Hunstman, both of whom are Mormon.
While media reports on the LDS church remain factually accurate, it is argued that a lack of consistent coverage in line with other religions creates a lack of mainstream understanding of the religion.
For more information on the Pew study and Mormonism in the media, click here for Lane Williams' analysis in the Deseret News.
