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D'Antonio (sociology, Catholic Univ. of America), Michele Dillon (sociology, Univ. of New Hampshire), and Mary Gautier (Ctr. for Applied Research in the Apostolate, Georgetown Univ.) report on 25 years of surveys (1987-2011) of American Catholics that the authors undertook at six-year intervals. D'Antonio and colleagues have reported cumulatively on these surveys previously (e.g., American Catholics Today in 2007). They begin here with a description of the surveys over the years. Since the first one, Catholics have remained at about 25 percent of the country's population, but this is because of the influx of Hispanic immigrants. At the same time, 16 million to 20 million people born Catholic no longer identify as such. Faith in the fundamentals has remained strong, but the view of the church's moral authority has changed, and women are less committed to the church. VERDICT A well-written study that makes no judgments but does interpret the data to give a telling portrait of the state of the Catholic Church in America, this volume will appeal to those who like to be given the facts and come to their own conclusions Library Journal The Catholic Church in the United States has had its fair share of setbacks which are covered extensively by the press. Through these challenges, American Catholics have continued to evolve the roots of the Catholic faith and have focused on creating a brighter future for the church. American Catholics in Transition invites readers to discuss challenging topics-such as the role of women and politics and the church-to understand the diverse church better. US Catholic Professor D'Antonio and various collaborators have conducted the only regular series of national surveys that collectively illuminate changes and continuities among American Catholics over the past quarter century. I was especially pleased to see that this fifth volume in the series appropriately presents the most extensive treatment of Hispanic Catholics to date. -- Timothy Matovina, University of Notre Dame, author of Latino Catholicism: Transformation in America's Largest Church The topography of American Catholicism is variegated, ever-winding and rife with often unexpected vistas of both persistence and change. For those wanting to explore it, American Catholics in Transition - marked by impressive detail, analytical nuance and plain good sense - is without doubt the indispensable guide. -- Jerome P. Baggett, author of Sense of the Faithful: How American Catholics Live Their Faith Vatican II, in method and message, called us to pay attention to the particular - the local church, the worshiping community, the griefs and joys of our time. American Catholics in Transition helps pastoral leaders to more fully understand those to whom they minister in their concrete particularity. The differences of commitment and belief based on gender, generation and ethnicity which the authors describe call for diverse pastoral responses. Ministry with young adults and Hispanics, two groups with whom creative initiatives are especially needed, would be enriched by the understanding provided here. Assumptions and assertions about "Catholics" or "the Church" or "the Catholic vote" need to be -- but often are not -- backed by the facts. Facts are what American Catholics in Transition supplies in abundance, with sometimes surprising results. The authors' clearly stated and provocative interpretations of data yield an invaluable window onto U.S. Catholicism, past, present, and to come. This is an engrossing as well as important book for scholars, people working in or on Catholic institutions and culture, and for anyone who wants to follow the role of Roman Catholicism in U.S. society and politics. -- Lisa Cahill, Boston College Catholics in the United States welcomed the twenty-first century amidst major cultural and demographic transitions that are profoundly redefining the American Catholic Experience. For three decades the surveys of American Catholics have offered the Church in this country a tremendous service in helping her to understand these important transitions. The New Evangelization demands that we understand the context in which we live and share our faith. American Catholics in Transition is an excellent resource for scholars of U.S. Catholicism and pastoral leaders to do precisely that. -- Hosffman Ospino, PhD, Boston College In American Catholics in Transition survey and analysis confirms that Catholics remain consistently committed to core doctrinal teachings but increasingly distance themselves from moral teachings and institutional structures. The two most disturbing trends are women's decreasing identification with the Church and the millennial generation's independence from Catholicism in particular and organized religion in general. -- Chester Gillis, Georgetown University This report on a fifth national survey of American Catholic opinion shows both continuity and change. Internal church matters and public policy issues are considered. A decided preference for individual conscience over church authority and a continued decline in weekly church attendance are notable. Voice of Reason
