Catholics in America

Abstract More than 20% of Americans are Catholic, and overall membership in the Catholic Church has remained relatively steady even as increasing numbers of people claim no religious affiliation. The rising prominence of Catholics in important leadership positions and critical demographic changes to the U.S. population mirrored in the Church have brought the Catholic Church and its members into public conversations, bringing renewed attention to the country’s single largest religious organization. Yet misperceptions about who Catholics are today, their religious beliefs and practices, and their attitudes regarding important political and social issues are pervasive. Catholics in America provides a contemporary social portrait of this large, increasingly influential group that clarifies who they are and what they really believe. This volume offers extensive empirical evidence to uncover the real story of today’s Catholic. It offers a fresh, new glimpse into the reality of the family behaviors, work and economic status, and beliefs of Catholics, with particular attention to differences between those who have left, joined, and stayed with the Church, patternsthat may define the Church in coming decades. The presence of Catholics in the country’s highest positions and their voices in critical national conversations about issues such as abortion testify to the significance of their beliefs and attitudes. Catholics in America is an important guide for anyone wanting to understand the personal and religious foundations of today’s Catholic.