Survey shows US Catholics feeling stronger ties to faith

March 26, 2015

Catholic Americans have became more likely to report a “strong” relationship with the faith, and less likely to report a “not very strong” tie, in the past few years, according to one survey.

Citing responses from the 2014 General Social Survey, a massive study that is conducted every two years, Mark Gray of the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate told the Religion News Service that he saw a “significant bounce” in the strength of Catholic identity, perhaps illustrating the “Pope Francis effect.”

In 2012, just 27% of Catholic Americans reported a “strong” religious affiliation; that figure jumped to 34% in 2014. The number reporting a “not so strong” relationship was down by 6%, at 56%.

 

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Further information:

• The ‘Pope Francis effect’? Some early data suggest it could be real (RNS)