Old Habits Don't Stick For Churchgoing

Humans are supposedly creatures of habit, but when it comes to visiting a place of religious worship, many American adults have been quick to break with traditions they followed growing up.

In a survey conducted in July and August 2022 by Gallup, three quarters of U.S. adults said that they went to church, synagogue, mosque or temple somewhat regularly as a child. When asked about their current attendance record, just around 40 percent were in the habit of going.

That being said, visiting a holy place weekly is still the most common mode of attendance in the U.S., carried out by 50 percent of respondents as children and 22 percent presently.

Curiously, attending worship regularly as a child is just as big a predictor of adult attendance as it is for shunning it altogether later in life. 27 percent of those who attended (almost) weekly in their early years kept in the habit, while 26 percent said they never went as adults.

The survey also asked respondents without a religious preference if they were interested in exploring religion in the future. 75 percent said not at all.