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Nearly half of US adults say they have some connection to Catholicism, such as having grown up in a Catholic household or currently being Catholic, a June 16 Pew Research Center study found.
Of the 47% of the more than 9,500 who took the survey, 20% say they are Catholic; 9% say they are cultural Catholics; 9% identify as formerly Catholic; and 9% are connected in other ways, such as having a Catholic parent or spouse.
The Pew study also revealed habits and trends among the 20% who say they are Catholic. Half say they pray daily, 28% say they attend Mass at least once a week, and 23% say they go to Confession at least once a year. Only 13% of Catholics say they do all three.
Pew also found that 22% never or almost never pray, 40% never or almost never go to Mass, and 47% never go to Confession. The net percentage of all three categories revealed that 13% of US Catholics never, or almost never, pray or go to Mass or Confession.
Selecting as many options as they wanted from a 14-point list, US Catholics also indicated what things they consider essential parts of “being Catholic.” Nearly seven in 10 say that “having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ” is essential, while half also say the same of a devotion to Mary, and just under half say helping the poor and receiving the Eucharist is essential. Catholics who attend Mass at least once a week are more likely than those who do not to say that such relationships and practices are essential to their faith.
Weekly Massgoers are also more likely to agree with Church doctrine on issues such as recognizing the authority of the pope and upholding the dignity of life in regard to abortion and the death penalty. They are also more likely to view their parish priests favorably, volunteer at their church, and participate in other parish activities like adoration or prayer groups.
Pew discovered that about 1.5% of all US adults are converts to Catholicism, with nearly half converting because of a spouse or a desire to get married in the Church. 13% said they came to believe in the Church’s teachings or historical foundations, and 12% said they felt called to Catholicism or found it spiritually fulfilling.
Converts were found to be at least as active in their faith, if not more so, as “cradle” Catholics (those who have been Catholic since a young age). Converts were more likely than cradle Catholics to attend Mass at least weekly and receive the Eucharist each time.
Converts and cradle Catholics were about equally as likely to say they pray every day and go to Confession at least once a year.
Pew also found that Hispanic Catholics in the US are extremely likely to participate in several devotional practices, more so than other groups. While Hispanics maintain high percentages of practicing Catholics (40%), they also have a high percentage of cultural Catholics (15%) and those who no longer say they are Catholic (18%).
According to Pew, US adults who no longer identify as Catholic most often cite disagreement with the Church’s teachings as their reason for leaving the Church.
