The latest national survey of Catholic Mass attendance shows young people are making up a bigger proportion of those participating in the Sunday liturgy, reversing a decline seen in previous years.
The latest Australian Catholic Mass Attendance Report was released this week by the National Centre for Pastoral Research. It was conducted in May 2021, when COVID-19 restrictions were in place across the country.
This fact contributed to a larger than normal decline in the number of people attending Mass, with a decline of around 206,000 (33%) attenders reported between 2016 and 2021.
Despite this, the number of young adults attending weekly Mass actually increased over this period, a positive sign for the future of the Church.
“The proportion of attenders aged 18-29 declined between 2006 and 2016, but showed an upward trend in 2021,” the report stated. “This cohort numerically increased by 4,000 attenders between 2016 and 2021.”
The report found much of the overall decline could be explained by the impact of COVID-19 restrictions and people's cautious approach towards resuming regular patterns of social interactions in the community.
“COVID-19 restrictions limited the numbers physically attending Mass on Sundays in many areas, while in other cases, people still preferred to attend a Mass online,” the report stated.
The decline in overall attendance appeared to be driven largely by older parishioners, who were cautious about social interaction in the midst of the pandemic.
“While older age groups cautiously returned to normal patterns of engagement, this may have had a contrasting impact on those in the younger age groups who were eager to reintegrate into society following a period of restrictions and lockdowns,” National Centre for Pastoral Research director Dr Trudy Dantis said.
“Participating in Mass at the parish may have provided a chance for social engagement while other such options may have still been unavailable.
“Since 2021, some parishes have experienced a growth in Mass attendance as COVID-19 presented opportunities for them to adapt and cultivate more involvement.”
The report concluded by saying the 2026 count will be crucial to determine whether the declines experienced in 2021 were a one-off or part of a broader trend.
The full report can be found here.