WASHINGTON – Today is the second Easter to be celebrated in the time of COVID-19. Given vaccinations and optimism, things are still not normal in most homes.
In recent years, the pandemic has changed the way Americans worship and other information shows that religion is changing rapidly. On this holy day for Christians, therefore, the Data Download looks at church attendance and faith in America.
Starting with the worship directly related to today, what do the pews look like this Sunday compared to a normal Easter? According to data from the Pew Research Center, this would be less pressure than usual.
The Pew survey, taken a few weeks ago in early March, showed that 27 percent of American adults plan to go to church in person this year. If the year was normal, 44 percent of the group said they would be at the services at Easter.
This is a big difference, a drop of 17 points, which means that in most churches there should be more room for social distance this year.
And it’s a reminder of how strong Covid’s grip on the country is still. Of course, every Sunday is important for Christians, but Easter is a special occasion for – where even less frequent churchgoers attend. That decline shows that there is still a lot of concern among believers.
Some of the decline may be less about a desire to go to church than not having a church to visit physically. In the same survey, regular worshipers were asked about the current state of their congregations compared to July. It was found that more worship services were open, but there were still exceptions and attendance restrictions.
Since July, there has been a decline in the number of churches closing their doors. It is about halved. But nearly two-thirds of the open churches require some form of Covid-19 restriction, such as social distance, which means fewer seats are available.
Only about 1 in ten worship services are open as normal as of this Easter, according to Pew data.
What do the believers do at these fixed times of worship if they consider these numbers? Over the past month, many of them have been worshiping online or using a television.
It is still a third of adults who have participated in virtual worship from their own home in the past month. And while we consider Covid’s long-term impact on the country, do not forget the role that those virtual or television services can play in the future of worship in the United States.
This week, Gallup released data showing that the number of Americans who say they are a member of a congregation has dropped below 50 percent for the first time ever in 2020.
To be clear, it is not 47 percent of adults who say they believe in God, or even 47 percent of adults who say they have a religion to which they sign. It is 47 percent who say they are members of a particular church.
Together, the numbers raise a question. When ‘virtual services’ end and worshipers have to decide if they want to physically return to church, what decision will they make? In a sense, it’s a form of the same question we all ask about work and school.
As with other elements of society, we are in a moment of transition. And we’ll have to wait and see what Covid’s long-term impact on houses of worship will be. Next Easter, when we all hope the virus is more behind us, we can better investigate the lasting effects of the pandemic on the way we worship.