EWTN News/RealClear poll takes pulse of spiritual health of U.S. Catholics 

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 5, 2024 / 13:37 pm

The findings of a new EWTN News/RealClear Opinion Research survey shed light on the spiritual health of adult Catholic U.S. citizens and reveal consistently concerning indicators of low Mass attendance, low belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and sporadic (though growing) participation in the sacrament of confession.

The survey was conducted from Aug. 28–30 among 1,000 Catholics with a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.

According to the survey, 31% of American Catholics attend Mass once a week, 16% once or twice a month, 32% a few times a year, and 9% once a year. Twelve percent attend Mass daily or more than once a week. 

Frequent Mass attendance was significant among younger generations. Catholics under the age of 40 attend Mass more frequently than older Catholics, with 17% of 18- to 29-year-olds and 22% of 30- to 39-year-olds attending daily or more than once a week.

That compares with 6% of 40- to 49-year-olds, 7% of 50- to 59-year-olds, 9% of 60- to 69-year-olds, and 13% of those 70 years or older. 

Among Catholic voters, 52% believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, while 32% do not; 16% are unsure. Belief in the Real Presence varies slightly according to gender, with 56% of men believing in it compared with 49% of women. 

Eighteen percent of the Catholics surveyed said they never go to confession and 24% go less than once a year. Another 19% go once a year and 23% go several times a year, while 16% go to confession at least once a month. 

Meanwhile, 39% of Catholics surveyed this year report they generally accept most of the Church’s teachings and try to live their lives accordingly, outnumbering the 28% who say they accept all of the teachings, 20% who consider themselves Catholic but do not accept some key teachings, and 14% who say Catholicism has only a minor influence on their lives.

Just under one-third of Catholics aged 18–29 this year said they accepted all the teachings of the Church, higher than the 29% of Catholics aged 70 or more years who said the same.

Among Catholics who said they accept “most” of the Church’s teachings, meanwhile, roughly 35% of those aged 18–29 said they did, compared with 45% of those 70 and older.

Some increases in Mass attendance, frequency of confession

The findings on Catholic belief in the Real Presence are similar to results obtained from a 2022 poll of Catholic likely voters. That poll found that half of respondents affirmed a belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist while 38% said they did not believe.

Confession habits this year, meanwhile, were improved from the 2022 polling: In the 2022 survey, 28% of respondents went to confession less than annually, and 35% never did. Just 10% of respondents that year said they went to confession monthly. 

Weekly Mass attendance, meanwhile, was slightly higher in 2022, with 33% of respondents that year reporting weekly Mass-going. 

Yet Mass attendance in this year’s August poll was higher in other categories: In 2022, just 7% of respondents said they attended Mass daily or more than once a week, while 14% said “once or twice a month” and 24% said “a few times a year.”