Fully 85% of self-identified Catholics ages 18-29 said in a 2014 Pew Research Center survey that homosexuality should be accepted by society, compared with just 13% who said it should be discouraged. Older age groups are less likely to favor acceptance. But even among Catholics ages 65 and older, 57% say that homosexuality should be accepted
Some of these differences may correlate with the frequency of church attendance. The Pew research has found that older Catholics attend Mass more frequently than do their younger counterparts, and that Catholics who attend Mass at least weekly are more likely to say that homosexuality should be discouraged than those who do not. But even among churchgoing Catholics of all ages – that is, those who attend Mass at least weekly – roughly twice as many say homosexuality should be accepted (60%) as say it should be discouraged (31%).
Similarly, despite the church’s continued opposition to same-sex marriage, most U.S. Catholics (57%) favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to legally wed, according to aggregated 2014 Pew Research surveys. And again, younger Catholics are particularly likely to express this view. Three-quarters of Catholic adults under 30 support legal same-sex marriage, compared with 53% of Catholics ages 30 and older (including just 38% of those 65 and older).
Authors note: Far too many Catholics disregard such surveys and toss them aside as meaningless; however, I think they are vitally important – for, they give us insight into what has gone so terribly wrong in the American parochial school system and the failure of Catholic catechesis. Because, if Catholic children had been probably catechized, these numbers (85%) would not be so overwhelming; and, the lack of church attendance by this age group goes part and parcel with their more liberal moral ideas; it’s a collapse on all levels; as, the spiritual life goes (the Sacraments, church attendance, devotionals) so does basic standards of virtue. For instance, as a product of the 1970s and 80s post Vatican II era, I can honestly testify that after 12 years of Catholic school – I knew relatively nothing; not a single prayer – and, therefore, how could I have learned anything about Catholic life. Sadly, in some sectors, little has changed. At the recent San Francisco Gay Pride Parade, I was approached by several cadres of bubbly laughing teen girls who proudly gave me the names of the various Catholic schools they attended; for the most part, these kids were thoroughly good-hearted, but, nevertheless, horribly clueless.