POLL: Latter-day Saints church attendance highest in the nation
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Church attendance is on a downward trend across the nation, according to recent Gallup findings. Despite the decline, attendance among members of the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints remains steady and the highest in the United States.
Gallup, a global analytics and advisory firm known for its nationwide polling, found two-thirds of Latter-day Saints members attend religious services weekly or nearly every week. The attendance figure is 23% higher than the next most active religious group of Protestants/Christians.
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Overall, attendance with the LDS Church has remained steady over the last two decades. A similar Gallup poll conducted between 2000 and 2003 found LDS attendance was 68%. Attendance got a small spike in 2011-2013, rising to 75% before it leveled out to 67% most recently.
Religious service attendance in general has been in decline in the United States, according to Gallup. Only 30% of U.S. adults said they attended services weekly, down from 42% between 2000 and 2003. Only two major U.S. religions – Judaism and Islam – saw an increase in service attendance, by 7% and 4%, respectively.
Gallup said it expects overall church attendance to continue to decline in the future as younger Americans show a “weaker attachment” to religion.
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“Specifically, more 18- to 29-year-olds, 35%, say they have no religious preference than identify with any specific faith,” said Gallup. “Additionally, young adults, both those with and without a religious preference, are much less likely to attend religious services — 22% attend regularly, eight points below the national average.”
Gallup’s findings on religious life in America match similar studies conducted nationwide. A 2023 study by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) found Americans who consider themselves “religiously unaffiliated” have been on a nearly 20-year rise.
The PRRI study even found about two in 10 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are considering leaving the church in favor of other teachings or a non-religious affiliation. Respondents said scandals, negative religious teachings about the LGBTQ+ community or simply no longer believing in the religion’s teachings were the top reasons for leaving or changing religious affiliation.
Still, those who continue to attend religious services and keep their religious affiliation appear to be happy. According to PRRI, 89% of all churchgoers said they were proud to be associated with their church and 82% reported being at least somewhat optimistic about the future of their church.
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