Survey Finds Percentage of Catholics Among Latinos Is In Decline

The Pew Research Center released a survey claiming that the number of Latinos in the United States has declined by 24 percent since 2010, while young people born domestically showed the greatest decline.

The Washington DC-based Pew organization showed that 43 percent of Latinos remain Catholic, which represents a decline from the high of 67 percent registered in 2010. Additionally, 49 percent of Latinos born in the U.S. between 18 and 29 years of age say they are not affiliated with any religion and 30 percent claim to be Catholic.

The survey was conducted between August 1 and August 14, 2022, of 7,647 American adults.

In addition, Pew says Latinos are still “twice as likely as American adults overall to identify as Catholic, and considerably less likely to identify as Protestant.” The study also noted that the fastest growing demographic is among people who have no adherence to any religion. It showed that the percentage of Latinos who identify as atheists, agnostics or “nothing in particular” is 30 percent: an increase of 18 perent compared to 2013, and 10 percent compared to 2010.

In a recent interview with Ricardo Grzona, an Argentine lay Catholic evangelist and long-time friend of Pope Francis, urged caution regarding such studies. He said that many Latinos emigrating to the U.S. are poorly formed in the Catholic faith and, once removed from their native countries and their Catholic culture, have nothing to bolster a faltering faith.

Grzona, however, called on Catholic bishops in the U.S. to increase their efforts to reach out to Spanish-speaking immigrants and their bilingual children.