The CARA Catholic Poll Digest

The CARA Catholic Poll Digest

Understanding Catholics in the United States

By Mark M. Gray, Ph.D.

The CARA Catholic Poll Digest is a regular online feature of the CARA website (cara.georgetown.edu) that provides insight into CARA’s series of national Catholic polls. CARA has been surveying adult Catholics in the United States since 2000. The CARA Catholic Poll (CCP) is the centerpiece of this research and is conducted in January or February of each year. The CCP is an omnibus telephone poll in which organizations and researchers may purchase single or multiple questions for an affordable price. A core set of questions is asked in each CCP regarding Catholic background, Mass attendance and general demographics. CARA conducts national polls by telephone interview as well as self-administered surveys using the Knowledge Networks national survey panel. CARA’s national polls use probability based random sampling and are weighted using the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS) to ensure that they closely reflect the makeup of the national adult Catholic population. For more information on polling methods visit the methodology section.

Archive

Winter 2008: The Impact of Religious Switching and Secularization on the Estimated Size of the U.S. Adult Catholic Population
Fall 2007: The Confessional is Open: About one in four Catholics fulfills obligation to go to Confession at least once a year
Spring 2007: Good News: Nearly three in ten adult Catholics read their diocesan newspaper
Fall 2006: Measuring Mass Attendance Q&A

Spring 2008

Most Young Adult Catholics Still the Marrying Type

Eighty-six percent of young adult Catholics, age 18 to 35, are either married (39 percent) or say it is at least “somewhat” likely that they will marry in the future (47 percent).

Only one in ten young adult Catholics have never been married and believe it is only “a little” likely that they will in the future. Some 4 percent say that this is “not at all likely.” Two percent of young adult Catholics have married but are either separated or divorced.

Among young adult Catholics who have never married but who say it is at least “a little” likely that they will marry in the future, the most common reason noted for having yet to marry is “I haven’t met the right person” (59 percent) followed by “I am focused on other aspects of my life” (57 percent). Forty-three percent also say “I am not personally ready to marry.”

Few, less than one in five each, cited their own independence (17 percent), a lack of willingness to marry from a partner (14 percent), or negative experiences in relationships (12 percent), or the negative experiences of relatives or peers who have been married a reason for not having yet married themselves. Less than one percent has not married because they are currently serving as a caretaker for a parent or grandparent.

*Which of the following statements describe* *reasons why you have not married?* Never-married young adult Catholics who say they are at least “a little” likely to marry Percentage selecting each
	I haven’t met the right person.	59%
	I am focused on other aspects of my life (e.g., education, career).	57
	I am not personally ready to marry.	43
	I value my independence too much.	17
	I am in a relationship and my partner is not ready to marry.	14
	I have had negative experiences in my relationships.	12
	I have witnessed a parent, other family member, or close friend in a troubled marriage and it has made me hesitant to marry.	10
	I am a caretaker for a parent or grandparent.	<1

	Note: Percentages sum to more than 100 percent because multiple responses were allowed.

Two-thirds of married young adult Catholics (66 percent) have a Catholic spouse. By comparison, 73 percent of married Catholics older than 35 are married to a Catholic.

Among never-married young adult Catholics, only 27 percent say it is “somewhat” or “very” important to them that a future spouse be Catholic. Twenty-six percent say this is only “a little important” and 48 percent indicate it is “not at all” important to them that their future spouse be Catholic if they were to marry. This does not mean they are actively seeking a non-Catholic spouse and in fact many who do marry will likely wed a Catholic spouse due to social proximity.

At the same time, many never-married young adult Catholics do say it is important for them to be married in the Catholic Church. Nearly half (48 percent) say this is “somewhat” or “very” important to them and 24 percent indicate this is “a little” important to them.

Sixty-four percent of married young adult Catholics were either married in the Church (60 percent) or have had their marriage blessed by the Church (4 percent). By comparison, 71 percent of married Catholics older than 35 were married in the Church (66 percent) or have had their marriage blessed (5 percent).

Young adult Catholics are slightly more likely than older Catholics say they believe at least “somewhat” that marriage is a lifelong commitment (91 percent compared to 85 percent). However, they are less likely to believe similarly that marriage as a calling from God (51 percent compared to 56 percent) or as a vocation (50 percent compared to 55 percent).

*How consistent are your views with* *the following statements about marriage?* Percentage responding “somewhat” or “very” consistent
	Age 18 to 35	Age 36 or Older
Marriage is a lifelong commitment.	91%	85%
Marriage is a calling from God.	51	56
Marriage is a vocation.	50	55

Young adult Catholics have very similar opinions to those of older Catholics regarding the acceptability of divorce. Seventy-six percent of both groups agree with Church teachings that divorce is acceptable in some cases (e.g., the Church does not require one to stay in an abusive relationship).

*Which of the following bestdescribes your view about divorce?*
	Age 18 to 35	Age 36 or Older
It is acceptable in some cases.	76%	76%
It is acceptable in all cases.	18	17
It is not acceptable in any case.	6	7

When asked about specific circumstances, young adult Catholics were slightly more likely than older Catholics to believe divorce is acceptable for all of the situations listed below.

*In your opinion, is divorce acceptable in these circumstances?* Percentage responding “yes” to each
	Age 18 to 35	Age 36 or Older
Physical abuse	98%	96%
Emotional abuse	95	91
Infidelity	89	83
Addictive behavior(s)	74	72
Falling out of love	64	59
Disagreement about sexual issues	49	37
Disagreement about having children	49	42
Disagreement about religion	36	31
Financial troubles	24	23

Young adult Catholics are more likely than older Catholics to agree that when they marry they want their spouse to be their soulmate first and foremost (84 percent compared to 75 percent) and that couples don’t take marriage seriously enough when divorce is easily available (76 percent compared to 69 percent).

Young adult Catholics are significantly more likely than older Catholics to agree that living with a partner before marriage decreases the risk of divorce (41 percent compared to 22 percent). Eight percent of surveyed young adult Catholics indicated that they are unmarried and currently living with a partner, compared to 4 percent of older Catholics.

*How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?* Percentage agreeing “somewhat” or “strongly”
		Age 18 to 35	Age 36 or Older
	When you marry, you want your spouse to be your soulmate, first and foremost.	84%	75%
	Couples don’t take marriage seriously enough when divorce is easily available.	76	69
	Living with a partner before marriage decreases the risk of divorce.	41	22

Catholics under the age of 36 are just as likely as those who are older to agree “somewhat” or “very much” that:

Marriage is an outdated institution (11 percent compared to 9 percent)
Personal freedom is more important than the companionship of marriage (both 12 percent)
Marriage is not necessary if a couple decides to have children (both 16 percent)
Divorce is usually the best solution when a couple can’t seem to work out their marriage problems (both 29 percent)
Watching children grow is life’s greatest joy (both 78 percent)

A full report of the results of the survey is available here: http://cara.georgetown.edu/MarriageReport.pdf

The survey was conducted between June 13 and June 25, 2007. It was commissioned by the Committee on Marriage and Family Life of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). CARA partnered with the polling firm Knowledge Networks to interview the 1,008 self-identified adult Catholics (age 18 and older) who participated (margin of sampling error of ±3.1 percentage points). Twenty-one percent of respondents were under the age of 36 (margin of sampling error of ±6.7 percentage points). All Respondents to the survey had identified their religion as Catholic in Knowledge Networks’ large panel of randomly sampled residents of the United States. Panel members are invited to take part in regular online polls for a variety of government, academic, and commercial purposes and are selected through probability-based sampling. Households are recruited into the panel through standard random digit dialing (RDD) telephone research methods. Those who agree to participate have their Internet costs provided by Knowledge Networks in exchange for participating in an online survey three to four times a month. Households without computers are given an Internet appliance that turns a television into a web browser. These methods ensure that the Knowledge Networks’ panel reflects the national population as closely as possible and that the research is not biased towards those who have pre-existing access to the Internet or a home computer. Survey questions were presented in either English or Spanish depending on the preference of the respondent. The overall response rate for the survey was 74 percent.