Many Americans Raised Catholic, Still Are
By: RNS Newsroom Solutions
Updated: May 1, 2009
A majority of people who are raised Catholic keep the faith through adulthood. The latest Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life shows that 68-percent of Americans who were brought up Catholic still practice the religion, which is one of the highest retention rates among Christian denominations.
Attending Mass as a child and teenager is a primary factor in a person remaining connected with the religion as an adult.
Among those who have left the Church, fewer than three-percent said it was because of the sex abuse scandals.
The most frequently cited reason is they, quote, "just gradually drifted away from the faith," while many also said they disagreed with the Church on doctrinal matters.
Just over 20-percent of former Catholics became Protestants as adults, while 27-percent are no longer affiliated with any church.
