Olli Dürr Society Corona pandemic has scared away many churchgoers

Corona pandemic has scared away many churchgoers

9. January 2023 | Olli Dürr | 0 Comment | 12:58

Categories:

Society

The corona pandemic has also left deep scars on the churches and believers. In the US, the number of churchgoers has fallen sharply during the Covid months and has not returned to previous levels even after the end of the declared pandemic.

Inhalt / Content

1 US churches have significantly fewer churchgoers
2 Increase after the end of Corona only moderate
3 Digital way to attend church services

US churches have significantly fewer churchgoers

It has become lighter in the churches than before Corona

The politically dictated Covid measures not only partially banned people from public life, but also ensured that the churches were also significantly thinned out far beyond the measures being lifted. According to a new study, around one in three Americans no longer sees a reason to worship in a church, even after lockdowns have been lifted. This was the result of the investigations of the “Survey on American Life of the American Enterprise Institute”.

Increase after the end of Corona only moderate

After the declared end of the corona pandemic, the number of churchgoers rose again, but the level remained below the level at the time of the first dictated lockdowns. According to their own statements, only 13 percent of Americans went to a church service in the summer of 2020. By spring 2022, the share had risen to 27 percent. On the other hand, a third (33%) stated that they never attended a church service. Before the pandemic, their share was 25 percent.

In September 2020, churches in the USA had an average of 63 percent of the normal number of churchgoers. In August 2021 the share was 73 percent and in the course of 2022 the share climbed to 85 percent. Still an increase, but still below pre-pandemic levels.

Digital way to attend church services

The digital age does not stop at the churches either, and this particularly affects the younger generation in society. According to the American Bible Society, around 40 percent of Generation Z adults over the age of 18 attend church services online. But the older ones also use the “convenient way to go to church” via medium. For example, 36 percent of “churchgoers” aged 77 and over stay away from church buildings and stay with their digital devices.
However, two thirds (66%) of Generation Z and the so-called Millennials do not see any reason either to go to church at least once a month or to participate in worship digitally.