CARA
survey:
Majority of Catholics feel positive about Church
By Lou Baldwin
Special to the CS&T
On April 13, just two days before Pope Benedict XVI arrived in America,
the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) released a survey taken
in February, “Sacraments Today: Belief and Practice Among U.S.
Catholics.” One thing the Pope might notice in the survey: Most
American Catholics are satisfied with his leadership
The survey, which was conducted by the Center for Applied Research in
the Apostolate at Georgetown University, polled 1,007 self-identified
Catholics. The poll produced a wide range of responses that were then
broken down by such factors as generation, Mass attendance and region.
It has an estimated margin of error of 3 percent.
The survey shows Catholics in general have positive feelings about the
Church. Approximately 77 percent of the respondents agreed at least
“somewhat” with the statement, “I am proud to be a
Catholic,” and of that number, 56 percent agreed strongly.
On that question, as with most other questions, the most positive response
was given by the oldest age group. Age categories included: those born
before 1943; Vatican II, born between 1943 and 1960; post-Vatican II,
born between 1961 and 1981, and Millennials, born after 1981. Almost
all pre-Vatican II Catholics — 99 percent —received first
holy Communion; for the Millennial generation, that figure was 69 percent.
On any given Sunday, 31 percent of Catholics attend Mass, and about
23 percent attend every week. Mass attendance is highest among older
Catholics, female Catholics, those Catholics who are married to a Catholic,
college-educated Catholics and, regionally, Catholics living in the
South.
Asked to list which of the seven sacraments are “somewhat meaningful”
or “very meaningful” to them, more than 80 percent of those
surveyed listed marriage, baptism, the Eucharist and confirmation. The
sacrament of reconciliation ranked last, with only 66 percent saying
it is “somewhat meaningful” or “very meaningful”
to them.
In the poll, 83 percent said helping others in need was “very
important” or somewhat important” to their identities as
Catholics. That was closely followed by reception of the Eucharist,
at 79 percent.
A majority of Catholics — 57 percent — said their belief
regarding the Eucharist is best reflected by the statement, “Jesus
Christ is really present in the bread and wine of the Eucharist.”
Asked to choose just one sacrament as the most personally meaningful,
39 percent chose baptism. Only the Millennial generation chose another
sacrament: 43 percent said marriage was the most meaningful for them.
More than eight in 10 Catholics are either “somewhat” or
“very satisfied “ with the leadership of Pope Benedict XVI,
and 72 percent are satisfied with the leadership of the bishops in the
United States, according to the survey. The 72 percent figure is 14
percent higher than during a similar CARA survey taken in 2004, a time
closer to the height of the sex abuse scandal that rocked the Church.
About 8 percent of the men surveyed said they had “very seriously”
or “somewhat seriously” considered becoming a priest or
a religious brother at some time. Overall, about 17 percent had given
it some consideration, peaking in the Vatican II generation at 25 percent
and declining to 9 percent in the Millennial generation. Graduates of
a Catholic high school were more likely to consider the priesthood,
as were men who attended college, especially a Catholic college.
Those responses were similar for women: 26 percent of the Vatican II
generation considered joining a religious congregation, but only 8 percent
of the Millennial generation have considered that.
As noted by the USCCB’s Office for Media Relations, while 36 percent
of Millennials attend Mass at least once a month — compared to
64 percent of pre-Vatican II Catholics — those who do so are most
like the pre-Vatican II generation in their belief in basic Catholic
teachings, the observation of Lenten practices and involvement in parish
activities.
The full CARA survey may be found at: http://cara.georgetown.edu/sacraments.html.
Lou Baldwin is a member of St. Leo Parish and a freelance writer.
Study
provides hopeful signs
Father J. Brian Bransfield, a Philadelphia priest who is a specialist
with the USCCB’s Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis,
sees optimism in the CARA Survey.
“Over 77 percent of adult Catholics agree that they are proud
to be Catholic,” he said. “The results show strong areas
of commitment. Catholics, even those who practice only somewhat or not
often, are aware of, and seek to adhere to the discipline of Lent (60
percent). A considerable number (80 percent) find strength in the beliefs
of the creed regarding the Trinity, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the
Incarnation.”
Even though only 23 percent of all Catholics practice regularly, the
fact that 77 percent are proud to be Catholic means that 54 percent
of those who are not currently practicing are fertile ground for evangelization,
Father Bransfield said. He noted that members of the Vatican II generation
say baptism and the Eucharist are most meaningful to them, which is
a strong affirmation of the Council’s call to holiness.
Also, Father Bransfield said, members of the Millennial generation identify
marriage as the sacrament most meaningful to them. “Born right
in the middle of Pope John Paul II’s catechesis on the theology
of the body, they are called to embody his teaching and are showing
signs of it,” he said.