America


Data Reveals Decline in Church Attendance


T


Today, nearly half of American adults either rarely or never attend religious services. BY KATHRYN MCKENZIE


he number of americans who never or rarely attend religious services every week has doubled in the last five


decades, according to new research from The Heritage Foundation. Attendance has declined for both


the young and old alike, for both men and women, for Blacks, whites, and Hispanics, and among both married and never-married adults, says a report compiled by Jonathan Abbamonte, policy analyst at Heritage. Today, almost half of U.S. adults


either never attend religious servic- es or attend less than once a year, Abbamonte writes. In 1975, about 35% of American


adults attended religious services every week, nearly every week, or sev- eral times a week. By 2022, only 22% attended at least once a week. Attendance appears to have


declined across nearly every demo- graphic group. Between 1975 and 2022, weekly religious attendance declined significantly for women from 39% to 25%. For men, it fell from 30%-18%. For married couples, weekly par- ticipation has dropped from 37%-27%. Since the year 2000, weekly atten-


dance fell for Caucasians from 28%- 21%, from 37%-27% for Blacks, and from 31%-20% for Hispanics.


For married couples, weekly participation has dropped from 37%-27%.


It appears that much of the decline


in religious services attendance since 1975 is among Americans with a high school diploma or less. Since 1975, religious service atten-


RELIGIOUS SERVICES: FREQUENCY OF ATTENDANCE


dance has not declined on the order of statistical sig- nificance among Americans with an associate’s, bachelor’s, or graduate degree. But Americans with a high school diploma or less have seen their attendance rates drop signifi- cantly. In 1975, 34%


SOURCE: National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, “General Social Survey, 1972-2024


of Americans with less than a high school diploma attend-


18 NEWSMAX | NOVEMBER 2025


CHANGE IN RELIGIOUS SERVICES ATTENDANCE BY REGION


SOURCE: National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, “General Social Survey, 1972-2024


ed religious services weekly. But by 2022, this had dropped to 12%. Declines in attendance were con-


centrated in states on the East Coast and in the Midwest. The reasons for the decline in reli-


gious participation are numerous, com- plex, and, in many respects, unclear, says Abbamonte. But one of the most salient reasons is the seismic cultural shift in values and norms that has taken place during the past five decades. Since the 1960s and early 1970s, soci-


ety has become broadly more accepting of divorce, sexual relations outside mar- riage, contraception, abortion, homosex- uality, transgenderism, assisted suicide, gambling, and recreational drug use. All of these activities are contrary


to the morals, teachings, and values of most religious traditions. The fact that many Americans have


come to accept and participate in these sorts of activities has changed personal values and philosophies and has caused people to distance themselves from reli- gious institutions and the observance of religious services. He also cites the increasing role of


digital and social media, the increased importance Americans place on money, and the decision by many young adults, in pursuit of educational and material achievements and finan- cial goals, to increasingly put off mar- riage and family — two institutions that often bring people back to regular church attendance.


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