Many Australian Catholics who skip Mass still keep the faith, bishops’ study finds

A survey of nearly 2,000 Australian Catholics found many still pray and value their faith, while priorities, faith crises, and problems with clergy keep them from Mass.

Many Catholics in Australia who do not regularly go to Sunday Mass still pray, believe Jesus is the Son of God, and say their faith matters, according to a study released Oct. 7 by the countryʼs bishops.

The report, “Absent from the Table: Catholics in Australia Who Do Not Regularly Attend Sunday Mass,” was commissioned by the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference and carried out by its National Centre for Pastoral Research. Researchers surveyed 1,973 self-selected adult Catholics online in 2024 and interviewed 67 of them from March to July 2025.

“Despite their irregular attendance, most participants remained deeply connected to their faith,” the executive summary states.

Around two-thirds of respondents said faith was very important to them, 77% said Jesus is the Son of God, and 64% said they pray regularly. Just over half (55%) affirmed the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, while 24% saw the elements as symbolic and 21% were unsure.

In all, 74% of respondents attended Mass less than weekly: 19% monthly, 36% occasionally, and 19% not at all. The full report notes that the findings, based on a self-selected sample, “are not fully generalisable to all Catholics in Australia.”

Why they stay away

The researchers identified 14 reasons for missing Mass. The main ones were Mass not being a priority, a crisis of faith, family or household issues, liturgical issues, challenges with the parish priest or other clergy, and the misuse of power and authority in the Church. Respondents also cited abuse, particularly clergy sexual abuse, as a significant factor affecting trust.

According to the bishops’ most recent national count, in 2021, about 8.2% of Australiaʼs Catholics, or 417,000 people, went to church on a typical weekend.

Bishop Greg Bennet of Sale, the conferenceʼs vice president and bishop-delegate for pastoral research, said the research is being entrusted to bishops to act on locally.

“The hope is that each diocese will listen carefully to what people have shared and respond with pastoral initiatives shaped by their own communities and contexts,” he said in a statement. “We know there are many people who are open to re-engagement with the Church and we need to work harder to find ways of making those re-connections.”

Bishop Michael Kennedy of Maitland-Newcastle, in a reflection published by his diocese, urged a different question: “Rather than simply asking why people are no longer coming to Mass, we should be asking what they are looking for, what their experiences of the Church have been and what we can do to help them feel they belong.”