Americans who attend religious services and those who skip them may be looking for the same thing — a connection with God, according to a new survey from Pew Research. The most common single reason for attending services is that people want to be close to God. And the most common single reason for skipping services is that people found some other way to practice their faith.
Eighty-one percent of those who attend services at least once a month say becoming closer to God is a very important reason they attend services. More than 6 in 10 (61 percent) list that as their primary reason. Two-thirds attend to provide a moral foundation for their kids (69 percent), to become a better person (68 percent), or to find comfort in times of trouble (66 percent). More than half say they go to religious services because the sermons are valuable (59 percent) or they want to be part of a community of faith (57 percent).
The reasons for skipping services are “complicated,” says Pew’s report. “Among those who attend no more than a few times a year, about three-in-10 say they do not go to religious services for a simple reason: They are not believers,” Pew says. “But a much larger share stay away not because of a lack of faith, but for other reasons.”
Among those who attend a few times a year or less, 37 percent say they have found some other way to practice their faith. Among evangelical Protestants that number climbs to 46 percent. A similar number of Americans have issues with how services are conducted — either they haven’t found a church or house of worship they like (23 percent), they don’t like the sermons (18 percent), or they don’t feel welcome (14 percent). Twelve percent say they don’t have the time.
Many of those who skip services still say they are religious. Seven in 10 identify with a religious group. Six in 10 say they are Christian. And, according to Pew, “most say religion is either ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ important in their lives.”