Churchgoers' personal involvement in prison ministry activities
Percent of American Protestant churchgoers, 2024 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Written letters or cards to prisoners (18%). Lowest: Foster parent for children with incarcerated parents (6%).
- Written letters or cards to prisoners: 18%
- Visited prisoners in person: 18%
- Engaged in in-person prison ministry: 11%
Source: Lifeway Research, Few Churchgoers Actively Engaged With Prison Ministry · Online survey of 1,006 American Protestant churchgoers, January 8-12, 2024. Article published 2024-05-16.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Written letters or cards to prisoners (18%). Lowest: Foster parent for children with incarcerated parents (6%). Written letters or cards to prisoners: 18%. Visited prisoners in person: 18%. Engaged in in-person prison ministry: 11%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2024. Source: Lifeway Research, Few Churchgoers Actively Engaged With Prison Ministry (https://research.lifeway.com/2024/05/16/few-churchgoers-actively-engaged-with-prison-ministry/).
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About this data
Leader Insights collects statistics about U.S. churches from published research by organizations such as Lifeway Research, Barna Group, Springtide, the American Bible Society and PRRI. Every number is checked against the wording of the original source before it is published, and each statistic links back to the study it came from. Figures are reproduced from the publishers named above; see the source for full methodology.