Reasons churchgoers would miss weekly worship at least once a year
Percent of regular U.S. Protestant churchgoers, 2023 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Avoid traveling in severe weather (77%). Lowest: Watch a sporting event or favorite team (42%).
- Avoid traveling in severe weather: 77%
- Enjoy an outdoor activity: 55%
- Get some extra sleep: 54%
Source: Lifeway Research, Weather Most Likely Reason for Churchgoers Skipping Services · Online survey of 1,002 Americans, sample provides 95% confidence of plus or minus 3.3%. Article published 2023-07-12.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Avoid traveling in severe weather (77%). Lowest: Watch a sporting event or favorite team (42%). Avoid traveling in severe weather: 77%. Enjoy an outdoor activity: 55%. Get some extra sleep: 54%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2023. Source: Lifeway Research, Weather Most Likely Reason for Churchgoers Skipping Services (https://research.lifeway.com/2023/07/12/weather-most-likely-reason-for-churchgoers-skipping-services/).
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More Attendance statistics
- Change in congregations' worship attendance over two years Lifeway Research, 2026
- Churchgoers' views on the amount of liturgical style in their church Lifeway Research, 2026
- Regular religious service attendance by age group Lifeway Research, 2026
- Americans attending religious services weekly or nearly every week Lifeway Research, 2024
- Americans who typically attend church at Christmastime Lifeway Research, 2024
- Attend religious or spiritual services a few times a year or less Springtide Research Institute, 2024
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.