How many Americans will go to church for Christmas? Poll finds declining attendance

Less than half of American adults visit a church during the Christmas season, according to new polling, which marks a decrease in attendance from one decade ago.

In a Lifeway Research poll, 47% of respondents said they typically go to church over the winter holiday, while 48% said they typically do not go.

The poll — which sampled 1,200 adults between Aug. 14 and 30 — found certain groups of people were more likely than others to turn up at church over Christmas. It also found those who visit church over the holiday do so for a variety of reasons.

Christmas attendees

As is to be expected, Christians — particularly regular churchgoers — are far more likely than non-Christians to attend church over the holiday season.

The vast majority of those who go to church more than once per week, 95%, said they typically attend a church service over Christmas, according to the poll, which has a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.

And about the same share of Protestants and Catholics — 57% and 56%, respectively — go to church over Christmas.

Evangelical respondents were significantly more likely than non-evangelical respondents — 72% versus 40% — to attend a religious service over the holiday.

Meanwhile, just 21% of religiously unaffiliated respondents said they typically go to church over the winter holiday.

Further, 56% of respondents said they would probably go to church over Christmas if they were invited by someone they know.

Why do people go to church over Christmas? Respondents provided a few different answers.

Sixty percent of those who attend church over the holiday said they do so because of their religious faith, according to the poll.

A much smaller share, 16%, said they go to church in order to observe tradition, while 15% said they do so to be with friends and family. Eight percent said they go “to get in the Christmas spirit.”

Declining attendance

The latest poll reveals church attendance over the Christmas season is falling.

In a December 2015 poll by Lifeway Research, 61% of respondents said they typically go to church over the holiday, while 38% said they do not. These figures mark a 14-point decline in attendance over the past nine years.

These results coincide with an overall decline in church membership and in the share of the American population who identify as Christian.

In a 2021 Gallup poll, 47% of respondents said they were members of a church, synagogue or mosque, marking the first time this figure fell below 50%.

Similarly, a separate 2021 Gallup poll found 63% of the U.S. population identifies as Christian, which was down from 75% 10 years earlier.

This story was originally published December 23, 2024 at 10:02 AM with the headline "How many Americans will go to church for Christmas? Poll finds declining attendance."