Catholic converts more likely than lifelong adherents to attend Mass, receive Communion regularly
% of U.S. Catholics who …
* Estimates for receiving Communion and going to confession among converts are based on interviews with 148 converts to Catholicism, with an effective sample size of 94 and a 95% confidence level margin of error plus or minus 10.1 percentage points. This margin of error conservatively assumes a reported percentage of 50. “Catholic converts” are people who say they are Catholic when asked about their present religion, but who say they were not raised Catholic. “Cradle Catholics” are people who were raised Catholic and currently identify as Catholic.
Source: Data on religious attendance and prayer is from the Religious Landscape Study of U.S. adults conducted July 17, 2023-March 4, 2024; data on receiving Communion and going to confession is from a survey of U.S. adults conducted Feb. 3-9, 2025.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Catholic converts more likely than lifelong adherents to attend Mass, receive Communion regularly
% of U.S. Catholics who …
| Population | Attend Mass at least weekly | Receive Communion every time they go to Mass | Pray daily | Go to confession at least once a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All U.S. Catholics | 29 | 36 | 51 | 23 |
| Catholic Converts* | 38 | 58 | 56 | 29 |
| Cradle Catholics | 28 | 34 | 51 | 23 |
* Estimates for receiving Communion and going to confession among converts are based on interviews with 148 converts to Catholicism, with an effective sample size of 94 and a 95% confidence level margin of error plus or minus 10.1 percentage points. This margin of error conservatively assumes a reported percentage of 50. “Catholic converts” are people who say they are Catholic when asked about their present religion, but who say they were not raised Catholic. “Cradle Catholics” are people who were raised Catholic and currently identify as Catholic.
Source: Data on religious attendance and prayer is from the Religious Landscape Study of U.S. adults conducted July 17, 2023-March 4, 2024; data on receiving Communion and going to confession is from a survey of U.S. adults conducted Feb. 3-9, 2025.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
