Survey finds more leave Church than join in many nations

The Pew Research Center conducted more than 800,000 interviews in more than 110 countries, with religious adherence figures released on April 23.

Former Catholics, defined by Pew as people who were raised Catholic but no longer identify as such as adults, make up 10 per cent or more of the total population in 15 of the countries analysed. And relatively few adults in the countries analysed enter the Church after being raised in another religion or with no religion.

In Italy, for instance, 22 per cent of all adults say they were raised Catholic and no longer identify as such, while 1 per cent were not raised Catholic but have since joined the religion.

“Overall, more people left Catholicism than joined it in 21 of the 24 countries we analysed,” Pew stated. “Hungary is the only country surveyed where more people joined (5 per cent) than left the Church (2 per cent). In the remaining two countries – Kenya and South Korea – similar shares entered and exited Catholicism through switching.”

In Australia, the Pew results showed 26 per cent of the population had been raised Catholic, but only 14 per cent said they are still Catholics. Two per cent of the Australian population say they joined Catholicism having not been raised in it.

In 12 of the 24 surveyed countries, most of the population was raised Catholic. Those shares range from 59 per cent of adults in Hungary to 96 per cent in Poland.

Many adults who were raised Catholic in these countries still identify with the faith today. For example, 92 per cent of all Polish adults are lifelong Catholics. People who leave Catholicism tend to join Protestantism or disaffiliate from religion altogether. 

As with Catholics, former Protestants are a sizable share of the population in many countries around the world.

“In nine of the 24 countries we analysed, this group makes up 10 per cent or more of the population,” Pew stated.

“But unlike with Catholicism, there are several countries where more people have joined Protestantism than have left it. In fact, Protestantism has seen a net gain from switching in nearly as many places as it has seen a net loss.”

Most of the countries where Protestantism had net gains were in Latin America. Adults who leave Protestantism tend to become religiously unaffiliated.

FULL STORY

People have left Catholicism in many countries, Protestantism made gains in some (By Kirsten Lesage, William Miner and Rebecca Leppert/Pew Research)

More adults quit Catholic Church than enter it in most countries Pew surveyed (EWTN News)