What churches did about sports betting in the last year
Percent of U.S. Protestant pastors saying they took each action in the last year, 2024 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Counseling for debt or addiction (44%). Lowest: Sermons to discourage participation (7%).
- Counseling for debt or addiction: 44%
- Private conversations to discourage participation: 32%
- Support groups for gambling addiction: 11%
Source: Lifeway Research, Pastors Oppose Sports Betting but Often not Actively · Phone survey of 1,004 Protestant pastors; 95% confidence, sampling error no more than plus or minus 3.2%. Article published 2024-02-06.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Counseling for debt or addiction (44%). Lowest: Sermons to discourage participation (7%). Counseling for debt or addiction: 44%. Private conversations to discourage participation: 32%. Support groups for gambling addiction: 11%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2024. Source: Lifeway Research, Pastors Oppose Sports Betting but Often not Actively (https://research.lifeway.com/2024/02/06/pastors-oppose-sports-betting-but-often-not-actively/).
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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.