New Study: Why Catholics Leave and Stay

Researchers at Benedictine University of Illinois released a new study this month titled Joy and Grievance in an American Diocese: Results from Online Surveys of Active and Inactive Catholics in Central Illinois. The study was developed at the request of Bishop Thomas Paprocki and the Presbyteral Council of the Diocese of Springfield, following concerns of a continued decline in Mass attendance over the past decade.

The online survey of lapsed or inactive Catholics took place between November 2012 and March of 2013, with a separate survey of active Catholics taking place in the winter of 2104.

The survey found that there were four main reasons why Catholics in Central Illinois stopped attending Mass or distanced themselves from the Church:

  • Issues with Church doctrine, especially among highly educated respondents citing concerns with the Church’s stance on matters such as birth control, women’s ordination, divorce and homosexuality among others.
  • An overall lack of connection to the Church, especially in regards to liturgy and spiritual practice. Many respondents noted that they were “dissatisfied” or “lost interest in going to the Mass.”
  • Ongoing scandals in the Church.
  • A “perceived lack of Christian values at the level of Church, parish or priest.” Many surveyed cited unfriendly or unwelcoming experiences personally or among friends.

Those active Catholics that participated in the survey offered a different perspective, noting that they did feel a sense of community in their parish, which kept them engaged. They cited the Sacramental life of the Church as being especially important to their spiritual identity, especially the Eucharist. However, these respondents also noted concerns about doctrinal matters such as birth control and the need for a greater welcoming atmosphere, especially fostered by ordained leaders. Some also suggested general changes to the Mass such as the homily or music.

A PDF of the full report can be downloaded here.

Editor

Katharine E. Harmon, Ph.D., edits the blog, Pray Tell: Worship, Wit & Wisdom.

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Comments

13 responses to “New Study: Why Catholics Leave and Stay”

  1. Roger Stratton

    I find it interesting that “changes in music” are listed as a highlight in the summary, but in the body of the text, there’s no specificity as to what changes are wanted. Except for one response from someone who wants their old choir back. So I would hope that parish leaders reading this study won’t subconsciously fill the void with their own favorite musical style.

    Reply
  2. Paul Inwood

    The Notre Dame Study all those years ago indicated that 37% of people were not happy with the music in their church. It seems that not much has changed in the intervening years. While that may not sound like a high percentage, it does mean that 1/3 of people are not happy with what they are singing. That ought to be a wake-up call.

    On a different aspect, it seems that, apart from doctrinal issues, the major “annoyance factor” is the priest. A huge proportion give this as a reason. I wonder how Bishop Paprocki intends to tackle that particular piece of data, and whether there is anything different about the clergy in Springfield. If that opinion is replicated across the country, it has significant implications for discernment of vocations, priestly formation and a complete overhaul of the present seminary system, since I don’t think this is necessarily about “grumpy old celibates”.

    Reply
    1. Charles Day

      @Paul Inwood – comment #2:
      On a different aspect, it seems that, apart from doctrinal issues, the major “annoyance factor” is the priest. A huge proportion give this as a reason

      This is no doubt true, but honestly, if you go to Mass (or not) because of the priest, you are going for the wrong reasons. There’s nothing wrong with charm and charisma – and bishops tend to assign the charming and charismatic priests to larger parishes for a reason – but it can’t be the core of your faith.

      Reply
      1. Fritz Bauerschmidt

        @Charles Day – comment #3:
        I suspect that, when the priest is a factor in Mass attendance, it is more likely that people are repelled by a particular priest than that they are being attracted by one.

  3. Jim Pauwels

    “Issues with Church doctrine, especially among highly educated respondents citing concerns with the Church’s stance on matters such as birth control, women’s ordination, divorce and homosexuality among others.”

    The diocese is largely rural, and it is noteworthy that 98%(!) of the survey respondents were white, a demographic profile that surely is atypical of the church in the US. The largest city is Springfield, the state capital of Illinois. I would guess that a large plurality of the highly educated respondents are in the greater Springfield area, and that many of them are associated with state government in some way, as officials, staffers, lobbyists, etc. Illinois is very much a “blue state” and its politics is dominated by liberals who are likely to be critical of church doctrine as it applies to same sex marriage, contraception and other issues named in the survey.

    Certainly, these results are important for the Springfield Diocese. Whether Springfield is typical of the American church is another question.

    Reply
    1. Jonathan F. Sullivan

      @Jim Pauwels – comment #5:
      I’m not sure how the survey results broke down, but I would point out that our diocese also includes a growing suburban area across the Missouri River from St. Louis which, combined, probably has a larger population than Springfield.

      (Disclosure: I work for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.)

      Reply
    2. Ben Story

      @Jim Pauwels – comment #5: Also it is worth noting that most of Central Illinois is “red” not “blue”. Illinois’ blue comes mainly from four counties (Cook, Peoria, Winnebago and St. Clair).

      Reply
    3. Rita Ferrone Avatar
      Rita Ferrone

      @Jim Pauwels – comment #5:
      Jim,

      There are 78+ million Catholics in the US according to Wikipedia.
      3 million of them are Black (African descent), according to the National Black Catholic Congress. http://www.nbccongress.org/black-catholics/worldwide-count-black-catholics-01.asp but we know that the population is not evenly distributed. So although a 98% caucasian rate sounds high, it’s only about 5% more than average, and we don’t know where Springfield stands with respect to the national average.

      I think it’s a far leap to your conclusion that probably the survey was dominated by state-employed liberals. Look at the way it was advertised. Heavily in diocesan newspapers and through parishes. Those are not by any stretch likely to exclude rural communities.

      What I was surprised by, and it may be that I overlooked it in the report somewhere … (maybe Jonathan Sullivan can correct me on this)… but the survey seems not to have been conducted in Spanish or to have reached out to Spanish-speaking Catholics through any particular means.

      This would be a puzzling gap, as 32% of American Catholics are Hispanic, according to 2013 data from the Pew Research Center.
      http://www.pewresearch.org/key-data-points/u-s-catholics-key-data-from-pew-research/

      Reply
      1. Jonathan F. Sullivan

        @Rita Ferrone – comment #12:
        That whites made up 98% of the responses doesn’t surprise me at all. We are not a racially diverse diocese and, sadly, have a history of racism in the area, including so-called “sunset towns” and a race riot in Springfield that helped spur the formation of the NAACP. (On the other hand, we are also home to Fr. Augustine Tolton, the first self-identifying black priest in the country, and the Franciscan Friars in our diocese have a long history to standing up for racial justice.)

        To my knowledge there was no Spanish-language survey. I’m not sure why; we have some pockets of Hispanic presence. My guess would be that the decision to conduct the survey via the internet played into it. Anecdotally, the catechists who work with our Spanish-speaking Catholics tell me that very few have regular access to the internet. It’s a primarily migrant group, with a good number in the country illeagally.

  4. Scott Pluff

    This confirms my suspicion that the vocations crisis is not only the number of priests, but the quality.

    Are there any objective measures of evaluation for priests in different dioceses? An annual performance review like other diocesan and parish staff members receive? It seems that priests are free to work as much or as little as they like, and to be as effective or as ineffective as they please with no oversight. I suppose when there are so few priests available, a bishop is glad to have anyone, good or bad, to assign to a parish.

    Without going as far as congregationalism, it seems that a bishop could employ a means of seeking feedback from parishioners on the effectiveness of parish priests and the overall health of the parish. But in most places, it seems enough if the parish pays their diocesan tax and doesn’t cause trouble for the bishop. Anything beyond that escapes notice.

    Oh, the things I’ve seen that could be filed under Priests Behaving Badly.

    Reply
    1. Jay Sansone

      @Scott Pluff – comment #7:
      Bravo to your comments. C.S. Lewis wrote that “lay people once tried to hide the fact the believe so much less than their priests. Now they try to hide the fact they believe so much more.” As you write, as long as a priest can stay out of the headlines and keep the local “franchise” operating profitably, he has virtually free reign. The Church’s greatest threats are not outside it, but within, specifically among priests: lack of faith and fidelity. Holiness does not seem to be a job requirement. Yet, we do find wonderful, Christ-like priests. Sadly, they are the ones most ostracized by their fellow priests and dioceses.

      Reply
  5. Lee Bacchi

    I remember once hearing Fr. Ron Lewinski mention some research that shows what keeps people coming back to a particular parish/congregation — good homilies, good hymnody (music) and good hospitality.

    Reply
  6. Gavin Sullivan

    Some non-believers continue to attend mass and to participate within their parishes. When I came to the awareness that no evidence supports Christianity’s central historical claims, I stopped beating myself up for perceiving it humbug. I try to spread the good news.

    I couldn’t have said it better myself:

    “…what we know about the Blessed Mother is simply a matter of faith and legend.” Fr. Michael Patella, O.S.B.

    http://www.csbsju.edu/sot/events/theology-days/2014_2015theologyday_patella

    Reply

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