Evangelical Protestant teens more likely than mainline Protestants, Catholics to pray at lunch % of ages 13-17 in public schools who say they pray before eating lunch at school
While the Supreme Court has ruled that the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits school-sponsored prayer in public schools, the court also has made clear that individual students have a right to pray in public settings. And, according to a new Pew Research Center survey of teens ages 13 to 17, a sizable share of students in public school are availing themselves of this right.
About a quarter of teens who identify with a religion and attend public school (26%) say they regularly pray before eating lunch at school. There are differences across religious groups, with 39% of evangelical Protestant teens, 18% of Catholic teens and 11% of mainline Protestant teens saying they often or sometimes pray before eating lunch. (The survey’s sample size was not large enough to report on the practices of teens who belong to most other religious groups.)
Evangelical Protestant teens more likely than  | mainline Protestants, Catholics to pray at lunch  | % of  | ages 13-17 in public schools who say they pray before  | eating lunch at school  | NET: 26%  | Often Sometimes  | Rarely/ never  | ALL AFFILIATED TEENS  | 8  | 18  | 73  | 39  | EVANGELICAL PROTESTANT TEENS  | 10  | 29  | 60  | 11  | MAINLINE PROTESTANT TEENS  | 87  | 8  | 18  | CATHOLIC TEENS  | 12  | 82  | Note: Figures may not add to subtotals indicated due to rounding. Those who did not  | answer ware not shown.  | Source: Survey conducted March 29-April 14, 2019, among U.S. teenagers ages 13-17  | a For a Lot of American Teens, Religion Is a Regular Part of the Public School Day  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 