Observers of American religious life have been curious about the potential effects of this upheaval on religious worship ever before the World Health Organization proclaimed COVID-19 a global pandemic three years ago. They have questioned whether the short-term closure of temples and other houses of worship will hasten the steady reduction in attendance. They specifically asked whether those who stopped physically attending religious services due to the epidemic would start again or if the pandemic had any long-term effects. On the other hand, some questioned if the extensive use of virtual services would increase the accessibility of congregations, draw in younger people, and assist them in engaging new audiences.
There are some signs that since 2019, before the COVID-19 epidemic, in-person attendance at religious services has slightly decreased. During this time, the proportion of American adults attending religious services at least once a month has declined by three percentage points - from 33% to 30%, according to AP News. Additionally, one in five Americans now attends church less regularly than before the pandemic.
The Research on Religious Services Attendance
The Pew Research Center has undertaken five polls since the summer of 2020 to examine how many American adults attend religious services. In these polls, participants were asked if they had physically heard religious services within the previous month. They were then asked separately about their virtual engagement (such as watching religious services on TV or streaming online).
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Research shows that 41% of adults reported participating in religious services in some way (either in person or digitally) over the previous month in the initial survey conducted in July 2020, when many houses of worship were restricting attendance or closed to physical worshippers. Of those, the majority (27% of all U.S. adults) participated only online. Another 9% claimed to have attended in person and taken part virtually. Only 4% of respondents said they had only physically visited church or other religious services in the month before the July 2020 survey.
Decrease in Attendance Since the COVID-19 Pandemic
Since then, the overall proportion of American adults attending religious services has stayed consistent, at around 4 in 10. The number of Americans attending virtual worship sessions has been declining as the virus has spread, and numerous religious institutions have welcomed worshipers once more. In contrast, in-person attendance recovered quickly and then came to a standstill. In the most current survey in November 2022, 12% of participants said they had only used virtual methods to participate in the previous month (down from 27% in the pandemic's early phases). In contrast, 16% said they would only attend in person (up from 4% in 2020). Another 12% of respondents claimed to have used in-person and online services.
“About 40% of our regular parishioners have chosen not to return,” Rev. John Ardis said to US News, adding that most parishioners are old people and those attend the service still prefer to wear masks. He added that the pandemic “has been a big and continual hit.
About six out of ten Americans avoided attending religious service during most of the outbreak. According to the most recent survey, this trend affects roughly 7 in 10 adults under the age of 30 (72%) and approximately 9 in 10 people who do not identify as belonging to any particular religion (including those who identify as atheist, agnostic, or without specific religious affiliation). These results are based on a Pew Research Center poll from November 16 to November 27, 2022, and are part of a thorough investigation of Americans' religious attendance. The survey used data from several earlier surveys and was performed on the nationally representative American Trends Panel.
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