UM: Religion

USA Today reports on the perception and reality of Americans who consider themselves religious, compared to their actual church attendance. UM researcher Philip Brenner found that, among 13 nations studied, Americans exaggerate their church attendance the most. Roughly 35% to 43% of Americans report that they attend church regularly when surveyed, but in reality merely 23% of Americans attend church frequently, according to data collected from “time diaries.” Yet Brennan insists that Americans are not simply lying: “[Americans] reflect on their identity as a religious person and they want to honestly report their identity as a religious person.” [Source]