# Who typically did NOT go to church in the 1950s? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 23, 2025, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-typically-did-not-go-to-church-in-the-1950s/1025971 "2025-12-23T00:47:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 4
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2025, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-typically-did-not-go-to-church-in-the-1950s/1025971/4 "2025-12-23T02:13:31Z")
> [@themapleleaf](#): > > However, a statistic that I have found in some sources (e.g. [here](https://wnycatholic.org/2023/08/04/generation-xers-church-attendance-drops-to-millennial-levels-survey-suggests/)) claims that the highest rate of churchgoing in the USA (as in, the percentage of people who attended church at least once a week) was 49%, in 1955 and again in 1958. If this statistic is correct, that means that, even at churchgoing’s 20th-century peak, a very slight majority was _not_ attending church! Nope. Those numbers, admittedly cited almost everywhere, are from Gallup, which has been asking the question since [the 1930s](https://news.gallup.com/poll/200186/five-key-findings-religion.aspx). Well, _a_ question, but not _exactly_ this one. As shown in that link, the actual question was “Did you, yourself, happen to attend church, synagogue, or mosque in the last seven days, or not?” I can think of a myriad of reasons why an individual, even a dedicated, deeply religious believer, might miss the the most recent weekly service. The implication is that the Gallup percentage is lower, perhaps much lower, than a question asking whether a person or their family regularly attended services. What that percentage is becomes difficult to know. [This site](https://growstrongerroots.com/2025/04/28/the-evolution-of-church-attendance-a-look-through-the-years/) claims " During the 1950s and 1960s, nearly **70% of Americans** identified as regular churchgoers, attending services every week." [bold in original] No source is given, but it backs up my contention and is the only stat I could find. Religion has never been a universal in America. It unquestionably dominated the early years and peer pressure was strong in small towns. As the country urbanized, non-attendance became less visible and so went less challenged. Attendance is not the same as belief; [modern studies](https://prri.org/spotlight/religious-stereotypes-vs-reality-in-urban-suburban-and-rural-america/) say that overall religious affiliation is about the same in urban and rural communities. I’m not sure much more explanation is needed. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-typically-did-not-go-to-church-in-the-1950s/1025971)._