Attend church, live longer? One of the better studies of the effect of regular attendance at religious services gathered data from a random sample of 3617 adults.

The researchers then measured lots of variables, not just the explanatory variable (religious activities) and the response variable (length of life). A news article said: “Churchgoers were more likely to be nonsmokers, physically active, and at their right weight. But even after health behaviors were taken into account, those not attending religious services regularly still were about 25% more likely to have died.”57 What conclusion can we draw from this study? Explain.