Fulfillment of spiritual needs, belief in teachings are top reasons Catholics cite for being Catholic | Pew Research Center

December 10, 2025

Why some Americans have left Catholicism, while others stay

Fulfillment of spiritual needs, belief in teachings are top reasons Catholics cite for being Catholic

Fulfillment of spiritual needs, belief in teachings are top reasons Catholics cite for being Catholic

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Fulfillment of spiritual needs, belief in teachings are top reasons Catholics cite for being Catholic

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Why some Americans have left Catholicism, while others stay
Most current U.S. Catholics were raised in the faith
Fulfillment of spiritual needs, belief in teachings are top reasons Catholics cite for being Catholic
46% of former Catholics say a loss of belief was a major reason they left the faith
Former Catholics who are now religious ‘nones’ tend to give different reasons for leaving the faith than former Catholics who are now Protestants
79% of Protestant adults who grew up Catholic cite belief in teachings as extremely or very important reason they are Protestant
When asked why they are religiously unaffiliated, 81% of ‘nones’ who used to be Catholic say an extremely or very important reason is that they can be moral without religion
Lifelong Catholics are more likely than former Catholics to say they had positive religious experience as kids