Here Are the Reasons People Stay Home on Sunday Morning

The people who don’t go to church often cite personal, not spiritual, reasons for staying away. That’s a conclusion from a new Pew Research study.

The most often given reason why people don’t attend church is because they practice their faith in other ways.

By their own description, those who cite reasons other than a lack of belief for avoiding church are a fairly religious group. About 7 in 10 identify with a religion (including 6 in 10 who are Christian), and most say religion is either “very” or “somewhat” important in their lives.

Another 23 percent cite personal preferences for keeping them away. For example, they haven’t found a house of worship they like, or they don’t like the sermons.

Still others (22 percent) name logistical reasons, like being in poor health or not having the time to go, as very important reasons for not regularly attending religious services.

Three in 10 say they do not go to religious services because they are not believers. Read More