Study finds one-fourth of Catholics read diocesan newspaper

Published: 2007-03-06

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- One-fourth of U.S. Catholics contacted in a national survey by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate had read their diocesan newspaper at least once in the previous six months. By contrast, only 1 percent of the Catholics surveyed had tuned in to a diocesan radio station in the same six-month period and only 2 percent had watched diocesan television in that time, it said. Most dioceses do not have radio or TV stations. Nearly a quarter of those surveyed said they had read one or more national Catholic publications within the previous six months. Twenty-eight percent said they had watched a religious or spiritual TV program in that period, 28 percent said they had read a religious or spiritual magazine or newspaper, 12 percent said they had listened to a religious or spiritual radio program and 11 percent said they had visited a religious or spiritual Web site. Older Catholics and those who attended Mass more frequently were more likely to read their diocesan newspaper and other Catholic publications and were more likely to tune in to TV or radio programs of a religious or spiritual nature. Of the 25 percent of Catholics who said they had read their diocesan newspaper within the previous six months, nearly half said they typically read it weekly or several times a month. About one-fourth read it once a month and the rest more rarely.

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