--- title: "Key findings about American Catholics" description: "Pew Research Center asked American Catholics for their views about family structures, religious beliefs and practices and other topics. Here are 6 facts from the new survey." date: "2015-09-02" authors: - name: "Michael Lipka" job_title: "Associate Director, Research" link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/michael-lipka/" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2015/09/02/key-findings-about-american-catholics/" categories: - "Beliefs & Practices" - "Catholicism" - "Christianity" - "Household Structure & Family Roles" - "Religion & Politics" --- # Key findings about American Catholics Many American Catholics are abuzz about Pope Francis’ first visit to the United States as pontiff. Francis’ trip later this month includes a meeting with President Obama and an address to a joint session of Congress in Washington before he goes on to New York (and the United Nations) and, finally, to Philadelphia for the [2015 World Meeting of Families](http://www.worldmeeting2015.org/). The trip is part of a busy fall for the pope. The Catholic Church also will convene a [synod on family issues](http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/synod-on-the-familys-working-document-sets-the-stage-for-spirited-discussion-39182/) at the Vatican in October; the synod will examine the role in the church of divorced and remarried Catholics as well as gays and lesbians. Ahead of these events, the [Pew Research Center asked American Catholics](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2015/09/02/u-s-catholics-open-to-non-traditional-families/) for their views about family structures, religious beliefs and practices and other topics. Here are several key findings from the new survey: **Most American Catholics are comfortable with family arrangements that have been traditionally frowned upon by the church.** For example, most U.S. Catholics say it is at least “acceptable” – and many say it is just “as good as” any other arrangement – for children to be raised by unmarried parents, gay or lesbian parents, single parents or divorced parents. Majorities also are accepting of a husband and wife who choose not to have children, a man and woman living together romantically without being married, and a same-sex couple living together. [![Catholics Say Traditional Families Are Ideal](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2015/08/PF_15.09.02_CatholicSurvey_families640px.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2015/09/02/u-s-catholics-open-to-non-traditional-families/) ****The survey finds that **the share of Americans with some connection to Catholicism approaches half of the country’s adults – 45%.** This includes 20% who identify their religion as Catholic. Another 9% are categorized by the survey as “cultural Catholics” – those whose primary religious identity is not Catholic (most are Protestants or religious “nones”), but who say they consider themselves Catholic or partially Catholic in some way. An additional 9% are ex-Catholics – those who were raised Catholic but now eschew any Catholic identity. And 8% have other connections to Catholicism, such as having a Catholic spouse. ******Among all U.S. adults who were *raised* Catholic, half (52%) have left the church at some point in their life.** This includes some whose departure was only temporary: 11% of all people raised Catholic left the church but later returned. But about four-in-ten of those raised Catholic now do not identify as Catholic by religion, including 28% who do not identify as Catholic in any way (“ex-Catholics”). ****Even among those who identify as Catholic, many disagree with church teaching about what constitutes a sin in some family-related areas. **Roughly half or more of U.S. Catholics say that using contraceptives, living with a romantic partner outside of marriage and remarrying after a divorce without an annulment are *not*** **sins. **And about four-in-ten (39%) say homosexual behavior is not a sin. **** [![Catholics Who Regularly Attend Mass Less Accepting of Non-Traditional Families](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2015/08/PF_15.09.02_CatholicSurvey_massAttending420px.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2015/09/02/u-s-catholics-open-to-non-traditional-families/) Catholics who attend Mass at least weekly are more likely than other Catholics to have opinions that align with church policies and teachings. But **even among frequent churchgoers, majorities are open to non-traditional family arrangements.** For example, roughly a third of Catholics who attend Mass weekly (34%) say children being raised by a same-sex couple is acceptable and as good as any other arrangement, which is similar to the share who see this as unacceptable (36%). **** [![Catholics Views on Working to Help the Poor](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2015/09/PG-2015-09-02_usCatholics-08.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2015/09/02/u-s-catholics-open-to-non-traditional-families/) On another topic Pope Francis has brought to the fore – poverty and its relationship with climate change – most U.S. Catholics (62%) say working to help the poor and needy is essential to what being Catholic means to them. But fewer (41%) say it is a sin to buy luxury goods without contributing to the poor. And fewer still express concerns about environmental issues in a religious context: **29% say working to address climate change (as urged by Pope Francis in an encyclical released shortly after the survey was conducted) is an essential part of their Catholic identity**, and 23% say it is a sin to use energy without considering the environment.