Springfield Diocese Survey: Inactive Catholics Cite Doctrine Disagreements
By Steven Spearie
Over three-quarters of men and women who identify themselves as inactive in or lapsed or drifting from the Roman Catholic Church say a church belief or practice has to do with their current status. According to a survey commissioned by the Springfield diocese — the results of which were released last week — half of those respondents cited church stances on homosexuality, birth control, fertility treatments, divorce and remarriage, women as clergy and the marital status of male clergy as reasons they have outright left or drifted from the church. A separate polling of active Catholics mentioned birth control as the doctrinal issue that most troubled them, though an overwhelming majority felt satisfied with their parishes, including a sense of community that they experienced there. The survey “Joy and Grievance in an American Diocese: Results from Online Surveys of Active and Inactive Catholics in Central Illinois,” which can be read online at ben.edu/catholicsurvey, was coordinated by social scientists from Benedictine University in Lisle. The four-year Catholic university also has a campus in Springfield. The survey was initiated by Springfield Bishop Thomas John Paprocki and other diocesan leaders as a strategy for studying and addressing why some Catholics had stopped going to weekly Mass or left the church altogether. Some parishes had experienced as much as a 30 percent drop in Mass attendance, according to October 2011 diocesan “counts.” The online method, which has already drawn criticism from one expert in the field, attracted 575 “inactive Catholic” respondents and 827 “active Catholic” respondents. New music, homilies? Inactive Catholics also criticized the church for sex scandals and subsequent cover-ups, unpleasant experiences with pastors and staff and the inclusion of politics in sermons. Others reported that a lack of connection to the church, including their spiritual needs not being met and dissatisfaction with the Mass, led them away. The survey published samples of “open-ended” responses to questions, including, “My daughter came out to me as gay, and I went through a divorce after 28 years of marriage (and the) church doesn’t want either one of us,” and “I do not feel that the Church respects or allows full participation of women.” Responses like that, said Phillip Hardy, assistant professor of political science at Benedictine and one of three social scientists involved with the survey, were shared with Paprocki confidentially. While most inactive Catholics pointed to issues of church doctrine as causes of their separation — so-called “non-negotiables” that are out of the hands of the diocese — Hardy said there are more immediate prescriptive measures, like offering personal invitations to those who might consider returning and churches being generally more welcoming. The survey also suggested the diocese consider ways of trying new music or promoting more topical messages in homilies. And though pleased overall with their parish experiences, active Catholics surveyed said pastors or parish priests were what they liked least about their parish and for those considering separating from their parish, the church or both. Survey limitations Rob Santos of The Urban Institute and past president of the American Association of Public Opinion Research noticed problems with the survey, particularly that it was online and may not have been fully representative of the demographic of the diocese. Because it was totally voluntary and online, Santos said, “a high number of parishioners (and non-parishioners) far above the poverty line (may have responded), leaving out a significant amount of the population.” Regarding how and where the diocese and university advertised about the survey, Santos said drifting Catholics may not have been fully in tune with the message, especially if they have stopped going to church. “You can’t get at the choir who quit,” said Santos, who reviewed the survey. Although 940 non-active Catholics clicked on the survey, only 575 completed most or all of it, said Hardy. Because of the presentation of the survey and the personal nature of the questions being asked, Santos said those respondents “could more readily quit (the survey).” Hardy said the Benedictine team was buoyed by the number of inactive Catholic respondents, though the study acknowledged the number who dropped off is “a mystery.” Acknowledging that the online approach hasn’t “yet been perfected,” the Benedictine team noted that “recent research suggests online surveys are an acceptable means of measuring public opinion and online samples tend to be more demographically diverse than laboratory samples.” *** About how the survey was conducted A volunteer sample of inactive, lapsed and drifting parishioners was recruited to complete an online survey from November 2012 to March 2013. A second volunteer sample of active parishioners was recruited to complete a separate online survey from February to March 2014. Sample sizes were 575 and 827, respectively. Print and electronic media were used to attract respondents for both surveys, including articles in Catholic Times and secular newspapers and advertisements in Catholic Times. Pew cards were given to all of the parishes in the diocese. Additional social media from the diocese directed individuals to the survey, which was also posted on the Benedictine website. The survey questions were mainly adapted from research conducted by the Rev. William Byron of St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and Charles Zech, founder and director of the Center for the Study of Church Management at Villanova University’s School of Business, who conducted a similar survey on drifting Catholics for the Trenton, New Jersey, diocese. Other questions came from Pew Research and the Rev. Andrew Greeley’s research on Chicago Catholics. Additional questions were developed by Benedictine University. The survey was paid for by a research grant from Benedictine, although the diocese did defray some of the advertising and printing costs. The link to “Joy and Grievance in an American Diocese: Results from Online Surveys of Active and Inactive Catholics in Central Illinois” is ben.edu/catholicsurvey. *** Want to know more? A public forum on the Benedictine University survey of active and inactive Catholics in central Illinois will be held Nov. 24 at the university’s Springfield campus. The evening will include a question-and-answer session as well as Springfield Bishop Thomas John Paprocki’s official response to the survey. Earlier that day, the university will host an academic conference on the survey. Details will be announced later. *** Springfield Diocese at a glance Bishop: Most Rev. Thomas John Paprocki (installed in 2010) Founded: 1853 (before 1923, seats were in Quincy and Alton) Size: 28 counties covering approximately 15,000 square miles Number of parishes: 129 Number of Catholics: 142,847 (12 percent of the population) Website: www.dio.org
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