Church Executive February 2025 | Page 21

FAITH ON THE HILL

A report produced by Pew Research Center — with data collected by CQ Roll Call — takes a deep dive into the religious composition of the 119th Congress . FAITH ON THE HILL finds that the new U . S . Congress will have marginally fewer Christians than it did in the previous session ( 2023-25 ), continuing a gradual , 10-year decline . “ Christians will make up 87 % of voting members in the Senate and House of Representatives , combined , in the 2025-27 congressional session ,” the authors state . “ That ’ s down from 88 % in the last session and 92 % a decade ago .” Overall , there will be 461 Christian members of Congress when the 119th Congress meets , compared with 469 in the previous Congress and 491 during the 2015-17 session . It will be the lowest number of Christians since the start of the 2009-2011 congressional session , the first for which Pew Research Center conducted this analysis . “ And yet , at 87 %, Christians still make up the lion ’ s share of the Congress , far exceeding the Christian share of all U . S . adults , which stands at 62 % after several decades of decline ,” the report continues . “ In 2007 , 78 % of American adults were Christian … and in the early 1960s more than nine-in-10 U . S . adults were Christian .” The report also offers detailed data on breakdown by denomination ; differences by chamber ; and breakdown by party .

9 FACTS ABOUT U . S . CATHOLICS

According to findings shared by Pew Research Center , Catholics are one of the largest religious groups in the United States , outnumbering any single Protestant denomination .

The U . S . has more Catholics than all but three other countries — Brazil , Mexico and the Philippines — according to the Vatican ’ s Statistical Yearbook of the Church . What emerged from the data are nine key facts about the U . S . Catholic population : 1 ) Today , 20 % of U . S . adults describe themselves as Catholics . 2 ) Most U . S . Catholics are White , but a third are Hispanic . 3 ) Catholics tend to be older than Americans overall . 4 ) Roughly three-in-10 U . S . Catholics ( 29 %) live in the South , while 26 % live in the Northeast , 24 % in the West and 21 % in the Midwest . 5 ) About a third of U . S . Catholics ( 32 %) have a bachelor ’ s degree . 6 ) About three-in-10 U . S . Catholics ( 28 %) say they attend Mass weekly or more often . 7 ) About half of Catholic registered voters ( 52 %) identify with or lean toward the Republican Party , while 44 % affiliate with the Democratic Party . 8 ) While the Catholic Church opposes abortion , about six-in-10 Catholics say abortion should be legal . 9 ) Three-quarters of Catholics view Pope Francis favorably .

View the full report for complete details .

RELIGION AND CONGREGATIONS IN A TIME OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL UPHEAVAL

A recent survey by Public Religion Research Institute ( PRRI ) shows that the religious landscape of the United States has changed dramatically in the past few decades as the country has become more demographically diverse , more Americans than ever have disaffiliated with organized religion , and religious leaders have faced a cultural milieu increasingly polarized along racial and political lines .

Key findings include :

• Despite a diversifying religious landscape , most Americans are still Christian .

• In 2022 , more than four in 10 Americans said they attend religious services at least a few times a year , including 7 % who say they attend more than once a week , 16 % who say they go once a week , 7 % who go once or twice a month , and 13 % who go a few times a year .

• More than one-third of Americans ( 35 %) say they pray with other people at least a few times a year , while three in 10 say they attend religious events other than worship services at least a few times a year ( 30 %) or talk to religious or spiritual leaders at least a few times a year ( 29 %).

• Among Americans who left a religious tradition , 37 % say they were formerly Catholic , 24 % were non-evangelical Christian or Protestant , 17 % belonged to another Christian tradition , 13 % were evangelical Christians , and 5 % were members of non- Christian religions .

• Only 16 % of Americans say they are thinking about leaving their current religious tradition or denomination .

• Among those who attend religious services at least a few times a year , the vast majority belong to congregations of less than 500 people .

• Despite the increasing racial and ethnic diversity of the country , the vast majority of churchgoers report that their congregations are mostly monoracial .

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