April 1, 2002
Gallup: 47 percent 'unchurched'
___PRINCETON, N.J. (RNS) --Nearly half the United States population reports no meaningful relationship with a church of any kind, according to the Gallup Organization.
___A December 2001 Gallup Survey found 47 percent of the population could be classified as "unchurched."
___To be classified as such, respondents had to answer "no" to either or both of these questions: "Do you happen to be a member of a church or synagogue?" or "Apart from weddings, funerals or special holidays, such as Christmas, Easter or Yom Kippur, have you attended the church or synagogue of your choice in the past six months, or not?"
___Anyone who answered "yes" to either question was classified as "churched." Gallup found 41 percent of the population could be considered "churched."
___"Churched" in Gallup's definition does not necessarily equate with "Christian" in the way that term is defined by most evangelical groups. The Gallup survey did not ask what a person believes about Jesus Christ, only whether or not they attend church regularly.
___The number of Americans classified as "unchurched" by Gallup has risen in recent decades, with 41 percent fitting that definition in 1978, followed by 44 percent in both 1988 and 1998.
___America's unchurched, according to Gallup, are most likely to be male, between 18 and 29, a resident of the western section of the United States, single or married to someone with a different religious background.
___Sixty percent of those who say they previously had been active in their congregations reported they could imagine returning. Among the situations that could prompt a return are finding a clergyperson with whom they can openly converse about spiritual needs and religious doubts, finding a congregation with good youth programs and a change in family circumstances.
___The survey results are based on telephone interviews with 1,019 adults nationwide from Dec. 14-16.
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