How will the Survey be Published?
The Copyright of the Survey belongs to Cost of Conscience.
Given the importance of the findings, and the doubts which they raise about the accuracy of current thinking, the Committee of Cost of Conscience believes that it would be a mistake to publish it too hastily or all at one go.
Our policy therefore is to release such findings as have a bearing on matters of particular interest at any given moment, and to write a series of articles in New Directions during the coming months which will gradually help to build up an accurate picture of whether and how opinion is changing. For example, with General Synod in York due to hear the Presentation of Bishop Nazir-Ali's Report on the Progress of his Commission on Sunday 7th July we thought it appropriate to reveal some of the attitudes towards women bishops.
The response which we have received from the Press has amply justified this decision.
Since this Survey was from the start intended to be a completely level-pitch across-the-board investigation into current attitudes it has a broader value than those surveys which, intentionally or otherwise, restricted the range of respondents in one way or another. For instance, a survey undertaken by a newspaper will, by and large, reflect the views of the readers of that newspaper. A telephone survey may be weighted unduly towards recording the views of those whom it is easy to reach by telephone.
As each article appears in New Directions it will immediately be posted to this website. This means that a substantial part of the Survey will have been published over the course of the next few months. If there is sufficient demand thereafter a publication of the Survey in its entirety will be considered.
Francis Gardom
Honorary Secretary
Cost of Conscience