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Lots of things come up that keep people from attending religious services even if they want to. Thinking about your life these days, do you ever attend religious services, apart from occasional weddings, baptisms or funerals? (IF YES: ) Do you go to religious services every week, almost every week, once or twice a month, a few times a year, or never? (IF R SAYS HE/SHE GOES TO RELIGIOUS SERVICES EVERY WEEK:) Would you say you go to religious services once a week or more often than once a week?
Frequency of religious service attendance, 1990 onward · Asked in 12 waves, 1990–2020 · 34,558 responses · weighted estimates computed from individual responses
Not loaded for 2024: the Feb. 5, 2026 release codes about half of 2024 respondents 9 (NA), the share who said they never attend (53% in 2020), and only 71 people 5 (never), so the remaining answers overstate attendance (30% 'every week' vs. 15% in 2020). Judged a coding error; ANES has published no erratum. 2020: 4,218 people who said they never attend (the 'No' filter, coded 5 in VCF0130 and defined as code 5 here) are coded 9 (NA) in the release; they are recoded to 5. Without this, 2020 showed 3% 'never' instead of 53%. Dropped only in years where the codebook names a design split (alternate form, half sample, abbreviated or web instrument): 9 in 1992. Kept and flagged: 8 (dk), 9 (no_answer). Codebook notes: 1992 NOTE: This question was not part of the ‘short-form’ questionnaire; for short- form panel cases, however, 1990 study data were incorporated. 1994 NOTE: For 1994 panel respondents, 1992 data have been included.
Dashed lines mark changes in how interviews were done, which can shift answers: 1. → mixed mode (2012).
Shares of people who gave an answer. Each column is one wave, evenly spaced rather than to scale in time; hover for exact shares.
| Poll | Field dates | Mode | Respondents | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANES 2020 Time Series Study Source variable: V201453, V201454. | 2020-08-18 to 2021-01-04 | mixed | 8,280 | 8,280 |
| ANES 2016 Time Series Study Source variable: V161244,V161245,V161245a. | 2016-09-07 to 2017-01-09 | mixed | 4,270 | 4,270 |
| ANES 2012 Time Series Study Source variable: relig_church,relig_churchoft,relig_churchwk. | 2012-09-09 to 2013-01-13 | mixed | 5,914 | 5,914 |
| ANES 2008 Time Series Study Source variable: V083186,V083186a,V083186b. | 2008-09-02 to 2008-12-30 | face to face | 2,322 | 2,322 |
| ANES 2004 Time Series Study Source variable: V043223,V043224. | 2004-09-07 to 2004-12-19 | face to face | 1,212 | 1,212 |
| ANES 2002 Time Series Study Source variable: V023085,V023086. | 2002-09-18 to 2002-12-06 | phone | 1,511 | 1,511 |
| ANES 2000 Time Series Study Source variable: V000877,V000879,V000880. | 2000-09-05 to 2000-12-22 | mixed | 1,807 |
Dashed lines mark changes in how interviews were done, which can shift answers: 1. → mixed mode (2012).
Shares of people who gave an answer. A group’s column is left blank in waves where its effective sample is under 50; hover for exact shares.
| Group |
|---|
| Every week - more than once a week |
|---|
| Every week - once a week or NA if once a week/more than once a week |
|---|
| Almost every week |
|---|
| Once or twice a month |
|---|
| A few times a year |
|---|
| Never (‘No’ in filter) |
|---|
| n |
|---|
| MoE |
|---|
| All respondents | 6% | 9% | 11% | 8% | 13% | 53% | 8280 | ±1 | |
| Democrats | 4% | 7% | 8% | 9% | 14% | 58% | 2861 | ±3 | |
| Independents (incl. leaners) | 5% | 7% | 9% | 7% | 12% | 60% | 2822 | ±2 | |
| Republicans | 8% | 14% | 16% | 9% | 14% | 39% | 2562 | ±3 |
ANES 2020 Time Series Study · US citizens 18+ (face-to-face samples: contiguous 48 states and DC; web samples: 50 states and DC). Shares of people who gave an answer. n is unweighted; ± is the 95% margin of error at 50% from the weighted effective sample. Groups with an effective sample under 50 are grayed; under 20, hidden.
| 1,807 |
| ANES 1998 Time Series Study Source variable: V980543,V980544. | 1998-11-04 to 1998-12-23 | mixed | 1,281 | 1,281 |
| ANES 1996 Time Series Study Source variable: V960578,V960579. | 1996-09-03 to 1997-01-02 | mixed | 1,714 | 1,714 |
| ANES 1994 Time Series Study Source variable: V941103,V941104. | 1994-11-09 to 1995-01-08 | mixed | 1,795 | 1,795 |
| ANES 1992 Time Series Study Source variable: V923828,V923829. | 1992-09-02 to 1993-01-16 | mixed | 2,485 | 2,472 |
| ANES 1990 Time Series Study Source variable: V900526,V900527. | 1990-11-06 to 1991-01-21 | face to face | 1,980 | 1,980 |