Nearly half of Chicago-area adults never or seldom attend church or religious services — on par with the national average, per a new Axios analysis of Household Pulse Survey data.
The big picture: More than three-quarters of Americans say religion’s role in public life is shrinking, per a recent Pew Research Center survey — the highest level since the group started tracking such sentiment in 2001.
- About 57% of adults say that religion has a positive impact on American life, per Pew.
By the numbers: 49% of Chicago-area adults never attend services or go less than once a year, while 19% say they attend 12 or more times a year. About 14% attend 1-3 times per year.
- Nationwide, 30% of Protestants say they attend services weekly, compared with 28% of Muslims, 23% of Catholics and 16% of Jews.
Zoom out: Vermont (75%), New Hampshire (66%) and Maine (66%) are among the states with the highest share of adults who say they never or seldom attend church or religious services.
- Mississippi (32%), Alabama (36%) and Louisiana (37%) have the lowest shares.
Friction point: Nearly half of U.S. adults say they feel at least “some” tension between their religious beliefs and mainstream culture, Pew found.
