Though it remains the faith to which most US Hispanics belong, it also is the faith that is losing more Latinos than any other religious group, with an increasing number of Hispanics identifying as religiously unaffiliated. These were some key findings of a Pew Research Center report released April 13.
In 2010, 67 percent of Hispanics said they were Catholics. That figure has dropped significantly to 43 percent in 2022. That figure stood at 49 percent in 2018. Almost one-in-four US Hispanics are former Catholics. Of the 65 percent of Hispanics who said they were raised Catholic, 23 percent report that they no longer identify as Catholics. Some have joined another faith, becoming mostly Protestants, while many no longer belong to a Church.
Protestants are the second largest faith group to which Hispanics belong, accounting for 21 percent of US Hispanics. Among Hispanics, 39 percent say religion is “very important.” Of Hispanic evangelicals, 73 percent say religion is very important, with 46 percent of Catholic Hispanics saying so. Among US Hispanic Catholics, 22 percent attend Church weekly or more often. Just 1 percent of religiously unaffiliated do so.
The share of Hispanics who identify as atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular” stands at 30 percent. That compares to 10 percent belonging to this category in 2010 and 18 percent in 2013. It should be noted that 29 percent of Hispanics who say they do not belong to any faith continue to pray at least weekly. Almost a quarter of all US Hispanics are former Catholics.
The abandonment of Catholicism is most pronounced among young people ages 18-29. Of this group, 49 percent identify as religiously unaffiliated. The 50-64 and 65-plus age groups are least likely to identify as unaffiliated, with respectively 20 percent and 18 percent claiming religiously unaffiliated status. Those are still significant numbers.
Among foreign-born immigrant Hispanics, 52 percent belong to the Catholic Church, with 21 percent identifying as religiously unaffiliated. By contrast, 36 percent of US-born Hispanics say they are Catholic, while 39 percent say they are religiously unaffiliated. Language also plays a role, with 56 percent of Spanish-dominant individuals identifying as Catholic, compared with 32 percent of English-dominant saying they are Catholic. That figure stands at 42 percent of bilingual respondents.
The decline in the number of Hispanics embracing the Catholic faith—especially but not exclusively among young people—should give Hispanic Church leaders pause. It calls for innovative evangelization efforts that consider what is most important in people’s lives, which for many revolves around material success. Hispanics going to Mass and living a Catholic life can no longer be taken for granted.
It seems clear that the American way of life, predicated on entertainment and the acquisition of money and material goods, numbs Hispanics with respect to their Catholic roots and values. It leaves them empty in critical ways. People are working two or three jobs to keep up, which pushes reflection and spirituality to the sidelines. There is a sharp decline in the appreciation of the faith that has shaped and sustained the cultures of Latin America. For hundreds of years, the Church has played a vital role in US Hispanics’ countries or cultures of origin, while Catholicism is also the foundation of the formation of the human person.
For Church leaders, the task ahead is presenting Catholicism in a more dynamic form that drives home the historical and contemporary importance of the faith. Somehow, the Church must engage and convincingly challenge the dominant culture to present a viable alternative in a culture driven by materialism and the ambition to succeed. The Church can borrow a page from the evangelical playbook and its commitment to going out to the people rather than waiting for the people to come to the Church.
There also is a political and ideological battle that must be waged. Former Catholics, the Pew survey notes, cite the Church’s lack of LGBTQ inclusivity, the clergy sex abuse scandal, and the ban on women priests as key factors that prompted them to leave the Church. On this front, too, the Church must demonstrate sensitivity and sophistication to make a compelling case for its teachings.
Failing a concerted, creative effort on the part of the Church, the loss of Hispanic Catholics will continue apace, further undermining a faith that goes to the heart of the Hispanic community.
