Catholics Say Traditional Families Ideal; Other Family Arrangements Acceptable Acceptable arrange ment and for as ra good ising children as any fother children being raised by accepta DK ble acceptable
Most American Catholics are comfortable with family arrangements that have been traditionally frowned upon by the church. For example, most U.S. Catholics say it is at least “acceptable” – and many say it is just “as good as” any other arrangement – for children to be raised by unmarried parents, gay or lesbian parents, single parents or divorced parents. Majorities also are accepting of a husband and wife who choose not to have children, a man and woman living together romantically without being married, and a same-sex couple living together.
Among all U.S. adults who were raised Catholic, half (52%) have left the church at some point in their life. This includes some whose departure was only temporary: 11% of all people raised Catholic left the church but later returned. But about four-in-ten of those raised Catholic now do not identify as Catholic by religion, including 28% who do not identify as Catholic in any way (“ex-Catholics”).
Catholics Say Traditional Families Ideal; Other Family Arrangements Acceptable  | What is your opinion about  | Acceptable and as good as any fother  | Acceptable but not as  | NET  | Not  | Acceptable arrange ment and for as ra good ising children as any fother  | Acceptable good as some others  | children being raised by  | accepta DK ble acceptable  | DK  | ma irried mother and father  | 90%  | 94  | 5  | unmarried parents living together  | 48  | 35  | 12  | 84  | gay or lesbian couple  | 43  | 23  | 27  | 66  | 87  | single parent  | 38  | 49  | 31  | 83  | divorced parents  | 52  | 10  | Thinking about adults, what  | Acceptable but not as  | Acceptable and as good as any  | Not  | NET  | is your opinion about  | Acceptable good as some others  | accepta ble acceptable  | other way of life  | DK acceptable  | husband and wife who choose  | 70%  | 18  | 8  | 88  | not to have children  | 55  | 31  | 11 3 85  | man and woman coha biting  | a same sex couple coha abiting  | 46  | 24  | 25  | 70  | Source: Pew Research Center Survey of US Catholics and Family Life, May 5-June 7, 2015. Figures may not sum to 100% or to  | subtotals indicated due to rounding. The "acceptable and as good as any ooher" category also includes those who volunteer this  | arrange ment/way of life is "the best better than others "DK refers to those who say they "don 't know as well as those who  | volunte er that it depends.  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 