Comparing Catholicism among Church Attendants

Catholicism is subject to a process of pluralization in accordance with social trends in advanced societies. In the past, several scholars have already found how flexible and adaptive Catholicism may become when comparing diverse regional and cultural settings. Nevertheless, there is a lack of empirical data which could provide a more nuanced image of this phenomenon. In order to explore this often uncharted territory, an international survey has been promoted among people who attend Sunday Mass in a small sample of parishes in four countries: USA, Italy, Spain and Portugal. Extensive questionnaires were distributed to and completed by Mass attendants. The questionnaires were processed to verify the similarities and differences of the various settings, to show the relationship with data available from their area, and to show how Catholic identity is construed and negotiated within their own cultural environment.