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	Researchers: U.S. Catholics Remain Loyal to Church Georgetown University May 5, 2006 http://explore.georgetown.edu/news/?ID=15373 Washington, D.C. - Reactions to sexual abuse allegations among Catholic clergy have not led to any measurable numbers of Catholics leaving the Church nationally. A new working paper by the Center for Applied Research on the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University shows that the proportion of the U.S. population identifying themselves as Catholics has remained constant since 2000. The study also shows stability in weekly levels of Mass attendance from 2000 to 2005. "Although most Catholics have expressed dissatisfaction with some aspects of the Church's handling of the issue of sexual abuse, most are also loyal to their faith in that they have not changed their patterns of Mass attendance or parish giving," the study's conclusion states. The study indicates that Catholics have become less likely to give financially to their diocese. The percentage of Catholics indicating giving to their diocesan annual appeal declined from a high of 38 percent in 2002 to 29 percent in 2005. "However, this decline cannot be attributed solely to Catholic reactions to the accusations. Respondents more often cited personal financial reasons for their change in giving than the sexual abuse scandal," said Mark Gray, one of the paper's co-authors. As of 2005, levels of satisfaction with Church leadership had rebounded from low points in 2002 when news of sexual abuse allegations regarding clergy gained national news attention. The study, including surveys that were commissioned, in part, by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), examines how the nation's lay Catholics were affected by revelations of clergy sexual abuse and by revelations about Church leaders' handling of the problem. It provides a review of evidence from survey research conducted by CARA, primarily summarizing results from ten national telephone polls of adult self-identified Catholics conducted between January 2001 and October 2005. Among topics covered include affiliation, Mass attendance, giving, and confidence in Church leadership. The full working paper is available at: CARA Working Paper 8.pdf About CARA The Center for Applied Research on the Apostolate was founded by Catholic leaders in 1964 to put social science research tools at the service of the Catholic Church in the United States.
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