Pew Forum Finds Clear Demographic Changes in American Catholicism

Washington, Mar. 28, 2008 (CWNews.com) - In a profile of America's Catholic population, released in advance of Pope Benedict's visit to the US, the Pew Forum calls attention to a demographic shift, with younger Catholics less likely to remain active in the Church, while Hispanic immigrants replace many of the "cradle Catholics" who no longer practice the faith.

"No other major faith in the U.S. has experienced greater net losses over the last few decades as a result of changes in religious affiliation than the Catholic Church," the Pew report notes. Citing the extensive survey undertaken for the "Religious Landscape Survey" that was released earlier this month, the Pew Forum explains that "roughly one-third of those who were raised Catholic have left the church, and approximately one-in-ten American adults are former Catholics."

Only 41% of self-identified adult Catholics attend Mass each week, the Pew study found. That number is lowest among young adults, with just 30% of Catholics aged 18- 29 attending Mass weekly (by comparison, the figure is 63% among those over the age of 65)-- a figure that suggests still greater decline in the number of active Catholics in coming years.

Despite the wholesale exodus of "cradle Catholics," the Catholic proportion of America's overall population has remains constant, thanks to the large number of Catholic immigrants, primarily from Mexico. Hispanics now account for 29% of the Catholics in the US, and nearly half of those under the age of 40.

The Pew profile confirm that Catholics compose a crucial political constituency. But the survey also shows a sharp distinction between the Catholics who attend Mass regularly and those who are not active. Thus for example, among Catholics who attend Mass weekly, 60% say that abortion should be illegal in all circumstances; among those who do not go to Mass regularly the figure is 29%. Similarly, 42% of the regular Mass-goers oppose research that entails the destruction of human embryos; only 22% of the less active Catholics take that stand.

The Pew survey reports that in the 2004 presidential election, the Catholic vote broke in favor of President George W. Bush, with 52% favoring the White House incumbent while 47% chose his Catholic opponent, Senator John Kerry. Among weekly Mass attendees the split was much more pronounced: 60 to 39% in favor of Bush. But in what may be a signal of future voting patterns, Hispanic Catholics broke heavily in favor of Kerry, by 65 to 33%.

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