PhD Pennsylvania State University (2005, Sociology)
MA Graduate Center/ Queens College, City University of New York (2001, Sociology)
AM University of Chicago (2000, Social Sciences)
BA Hunter College, City University of New York (1998, Sociology)
AAS Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York (1997, Fashion Design)
Dr. Amy Adamczyk is Professor of Sociology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the Programs of Doctoral Study in Sociology and Criminal Justice at The Graduate Center, City University of New York. Trained as a sociologist of religion, her research focuses on how different contexts (e.g. nations, counties, friendship groups), and personal religious beliefs shape people’s deviant, moral, and health-related attitudes and behaviors. In 2025, she published her third book, Fetal Positions: Understanding Cross-national Public Opinion about Abortion, with Oxford University Press. Her coauthored book, Handing Down the Faith: How Parents Pass their Religion on to the Next Generation, was a finalist for Christianity Today’s 2022 Book of the Year Award, Marriage & Family Category. She is also the recipient of the 2018 Outstanding Book Award from the International Section of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences for Public Opinion about Homosexuality: Examining Attitudes Across the Globe. She has also published 58 peer-reviewed journal articles. Her research has been supported with grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation, the Templeton Religion Trust of Nassau, and the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion’s Jack Shand Research Award. To learn more, check out AmyAdamczyk.com/
Books
Amy Adamczyk. 2025. Fetal Positions Around the Globe: Understanding Cross-national Public Opinion about Abortion. New York: Oxford University Press
- Preliminary findings discussed in the podcast, Science & Belief in Society, and a 30-minute television interview, Journey TV.
Christian Smith and Amy Adamczyk. 2021. Handing Down the Faith: How Parents Pass Their Religion on to the Next Generation. New York: Oxford University Press.
- Finalist for Christianity Today’s 2022 Book of the Year Award, Marriage & Family Category
- Selected for the audiobook program by Recorded Books, the largest independent publisher of audiobooks.
- Interviews with Religion Watch, Deseret News, The Pillar, Sacred Heart Radio, Religion News Service, Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, and Christianity Today and published in the Washington Post.
- Reviews published in 16 outlets: (1) A. Blasi (2021) in Catholic Book Reviews; (2) G. Hayward (2021) in Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 60:4, 937-938; (3) M. Jaradat (2021) Deseret News; (4) B. Martin (2021) in Church Times; (5) D.S. Mulhall (2021) in Catholic News Service; (6) Z. Romanowsky (2021) Aletheia; (7) R. Shaw (2021) in Catholic News Agency; (8) E. Soloff (2021) Christian Century; (9) J. Staudt (2021) in Denver Catholic; (10) W.M. Thompson (2021) in Concordia Journal; (11) K. Watson (2021) in North American Division of Youth and Young Adult Ministries Book Reviews; (12) B. Weston (2021) in American Library Association- CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, 59: 6, 840 (13) J.E. White (2021) Outreach Magazine; (14) Anonymous (2021) in NC Family Policy Council; (15) J. Hoffman (2022) in Sociology of Religion, 83:4, 536–538; (16); C. Gerhardt (2022) in Christian Scholar’s Review, 51:3, 405-407; (17); Anonymous (2022) in Daily Citizen.
- Podcasts & television: Axis, Indoor Voices, Beatrice Institute, CMDA Matters, Journey TV, Fountains of Carrots, and Yale Divinity School
Amy Adamczyk. 2017. Cross-National Public Opinion about Homosexuality: Examining Attitudes across the Globe. Oakland, CA: University of California Press.
- Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences International Section Outstanding Book Award for 2018.
- Reviews published in 7 outlets: (1) G. Hansens (2018) in the American Journal of Sociology; (2) J. Garretson (2018) in Public Opinion Quarterly; (3) T. Fetner in (2019) Contemporary Sociology; (4) G. Jung (2018) in Sociological Inquiry; (5) R. Booth (2017) in The Gay and Lesbian Review; (6) B. Khoury (2017) in PsycCRITIQUES; (7) J. Dick (2019) in INTAMS Library
- Summaries of the book’s findings were published in The Conversation (currently 104K reads), Newsweek, Salon, PinkNews, Plus Magazine, Gayety, Huffington Post, and the Academic Minute.
- PRIDE podcast with Straw Hut Media
Last five peer-reviewed journal articles (See CV for all 58 articles)
58. Amy Adamczyk, Brittany Suh (student), and Lindsay Lerner(student). 2024. Analysis of the Relationship Between Religion, Abortion, and Assisted Reproductive Technology: Insights into Cross-national Public Opinion. Social Science Research: 120.
57. Amy Adamczyk and Lindsay Lerner (student). 2024. Synthesizing the Global English-language Abortion Narrative: A Comparative Analysis of Media Discourse. Sociological Inquiry 94(4):994–1024.
56. Amy Adamczyk and Ashley French (student). 2024. “Education and Religion for Understanding Support for Same-sex Relations: Considering Differences over Time and across Geographical Areas.” Sociology of Religion.
55. Udi Sommers, Or Rappel-Kroyzer (student), Amy Adamczyk, Lindsay Lerner (student), and Anna Weiner (student). 2023. The Political Ramifications of Judicial Institutions: Establishing a Link between Dobbs and Gender Disparities in the 2022 Midterms. Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World.
54. Emily Greene-Colozzi (student), Amy Adamczyk and Senahan Kiyal Keles (student). 2023 “Differences in Religious Framing of Muslims and Islam in American Media Coverage Before and After the Trump Campaign.” Journal of Media and Religion: 22(1), 29-47
Professor Amy Adamczyk investigates how social, cultural, and religious contexts shape public attitudes and behaviors, particularly on controversial issues where legal and societal norms are in flux. Her research explores topics such as abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, marijuana, sexual behaviors, pornography, and terrorism. She employs a diverse range of methods—including surveys, interviews, big data analysis, ethnography, and historical and mixed-method approaches—to provide nuanced insights into these complex issues.
In addition to authoring three books, Professor Adamczyk has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles in leading academic journals, including American Sociological Review, Social Forces, Justice Quarterly, and the Journal of Health and Social Behavior. Her work has been supported by grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, and the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation. She has been recognized with multiple honors, including John Jay College's Research Excellence Award in 2008, 2009, 2012, 2016, 2019, and 2024