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Ottawa, Ont.
Attendance at religious services falls


Canadian attendance at religious services has continued to decline. According to Statistics Canada’s General Social Survey, only 34% of Canadians over age 15 attended religious services regularly (at least once a month) in 1998, down from 41% in 1988.

Regular attendance among those aged 15-24 dropped from 34% to 26%. It dropped from 32% to 24% among those aged 25-34, from 39% to 29% among those aged 35-44, from 47% to 34% among those aged 45-54, from 52% to 43% among those aged 55-64, from 57% to 51% among those aged 65-74 and from 60% to 56% among those 75 or older.

Family

There is a close connection between family status and attendance at religious services. Among those aged 15-24, 44% of married people attend services regularly in 1998, compared to only 26% of single people. Moreover, among those aged 25-44, 33% of married couples with children attended regularly, compared to 27% of married people without children. At all ages, people living in common-law arrangements were least likely to be regular attenders (11% of those aged 15-24, 10% of those aged 25-44 and 14% of those aged 45-64).

Women were more likely to attend services regularly than men (27% to 25% of those aged 15-24, 30% to 24% of those aged 25-44, 43% to 32% of those aged 45-64 and 56% to 49% of those 65 and older). Even among married people, women were more likely than men to attend regularly (34% to 31% of those aged 25-44 and 46% to 37% of those aged 45-64).

Women who were divorced or separated were almost as likely to attend services (28% of those aged 25-44, 33% of those aged 45-64 and 50% of those aged 65 or more) as women who were married. However, only 12% of divorced/separated men aged 25-44 and 14% of divorced/separated men aged 45-64 attended regularly. While 54% of married women and 53% of married men 65 or older attended regularly, only 38% of widowed men living alone attended, compared to 57% of widowed women living alone.

Immigration

The decline in religious attendance is not due to immigration. Only 31% of those born in Canada attended services regularly in 1998, compared to 43% of people who had immigrated here. About half of Asian immigrants entering Canada between 1994 and 1998 attended services regularly, but only about one-fifth of those who immigrated from Europe.

Geography

Regular attendance at religious services has dropped in almost every province: from 58% to 47% of those in Newfoundland, from 65% to 52% in Prince Edward Island, from 49% to 41% in Nova Scotia, from 63% to 50% in New Brunswick, from 48% to 29% in Quebec, from 42% to 36% in Ontario, from 42% to 37% in Manitoba, from 55% to 39% in Saskatchewan, and from 34% to 29% in Alberta. Only in British Columbia has attendance increased, from 26% in 1988 to 27% in 1929.

Attendance has tended to be higher in rural areas and lower in the cities, but the gap is narrowing. Attendance in Canada’s large cities (Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver) dropped from 35% in 1986 to 32% in 1998. In mid-sized cities (including Ottawa-Hull, Edmonton, Calgary, Quebec City, Winnipeg, Hamilton, London, Kitchener, St. Catharines-Niagara, Halifax and Victoria), attendance dropped from 40% to 30%. Attendance in small cities (population 50,000-250,000, including Saskatoon and Regina), attendance dropped from 47% to 36%. Attendance in towns with a population of 20,000-50,000, dropped from 48% to 32%. Attendance in towns under 20,000 and rural areas dropped from 50% to 39%.

 – Canadian Social Trends

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Last modified May 17, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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