



A new survey found that less than half of Americans say they attend a church service during the Christmas season.
Lifeway Research, an evangelical research firm, published a survey that found 47% of polled adults in the United States said they attend church around Christmas, 48% said they do not and 5% said they were not sure.
The survey says it polled 1,200 adults over the internet from a variety of backgrounds, ethnicities and religions.
“While 9 in 10 Americans do something to celebrate Christmas, less than half typically attend church at Christmastime today,” Lifeway Research Executive Directior Scott McConnell said.
The report broke down the amount of polled adults said they go to church around Christmas by religion:
Protestants — 57%
Catholics — 56%
Other religions — 53%
Religiously unaffiliated — 21%
Additionally, 56% of participants said they would attend church around Christmas if someone they knew invited them.
McConnell said there is a variety of reasons people say they choose to come to church over Christmas.
“While church services draw more people in the Christmas season, their prime motivation isn’t unified,” McConnell said. “The majority are drawn to celebrate the birth of Jesus, honoring Him as the Christ or promised Messiah. But others mostly join in because of the importance of family, their embrace of Christmas church tradition or to jumpstart Christmas vibes.”