Timing of the most-attended event of the holiday season
Percent of U.S. Protestant pastors, 2022 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Christmas Eve service (48%). Lowest: Event in the first week of January (5%).
- Christmas Eve service: 48%
- Event in the third week of December: 26%
- Event in the second week of December: 10%
Source: Lifeway Research, Pastors Say Christmas Eve Is Most-Attended Holiday Service · Phone survey of 1,000 Protestant pastors by Lifeway Research; sampling error plus or minus 3.2%. Article published 2022-11-29.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Christmas Eve service (48%). Lowest: Event in the first week of January (5%). Christmas Eve service: 48%. Event in the third week of December: 26%. Event in the second week of December: 10%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2022. Source: Lifeway Research, Pastors Say Christmas Eve Is Most-Attended Holiday Service (https://research.lifeway.com/2022/11/29/pastors-say-christmas-eve-is-most-attended-holiday-service/).
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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 who rarely or never attend worship services Lifeway Research, 2023
- Americans who say they belong to a church or house of worship Lifeway Research, 2023
- Churchgoers who say experiencing God in person with others is very important Barna Group, 2023
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.