Some Factors Associated with Variations in Church Attendance

Abstract

Church attendance, as reported on three Survey Research Center studies, has been analyzed by sex, race, age, number of children, life cycle, education, occupation, and family income within groups designated as Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Baptist, and Methodist. Analysis of the Christian groups reveals: (1) women, both in and out of the labor force, attend church more frequently than men; (2) Negroes attend church somewhat more often than whites; (3) the higher the education and occupation levels, the greater the rate of church attendance; (4) no associations between frequency of church attendance and age, number of children, or family income; (5) increased regularity of church attendance by Protestants with children 5 years old and over. The Jewish group shows the effect of its traditional Orthodox pattern in having a greater frequency of synagogue attendance for men than women and for the older Jewish age groups in contrast to the younger age groups. There are no significant associations between church attendance and education, occupation, or income within the Jewish group.