Wheatley Institute and the BYU Economics department were pleased to hear from Dr. Devin Pope, an Associate Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics at the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. Dr. Pope used cellphone data to explore the frequency, regularity, and correlates with religious worship in America across geographies and religious traditions.

Wheatley Institute helped to host David French, author and columnist for the New York Times, as a speaker at Brigham Young University's campus forum, where he addressed increased political division and hatred in the United States.

Distinguished Wheatley fellow of religion, Shima Baughman, gave a devotional at Brigham Young University comparing the power of faith in Jesus Christ to the power of our own biological hearts, especially emphasizing the importance of temple covenants.

Wheatley Fellows, Jenet Erickson and Justin Dyer in addition to Morgan Gardner, wrote an article for Deseret News on how both single and married Latter-day Saint women are significantly more likely to report a deep sense of spiritual peace and well-being — along with better happiness and family life, all of which are tied to higher levels of religiosity.

Wheatley Institute Family Director Jason Carroll wrote an article with Wheatley Fellow Brian J. Willoughby for the Institute of Family Studies about the harmful effects of pornography use on marriages, mentioning recent studies linking pornography use to decreased marital commitment and satisfaction, worse mental health, and increased rates of divorce.

Wheatley Fellow and Deseret Magazine executive editor Hal Boyd wrote an brief article for Deseret Magazine about recent developments in American religion and secularism, introducing a series of articles about America's decline in, and return to, religious activity—including an article written by Reverend Andrew Teal, who visited Wheatley Institute last fall.