CARA is a national, non-profit, Georgetown University affiliated research center that conducts social scientific studies about the Catholic Church.
CARA has nearly 60 years of experience in quality social science research on the Catholic Church. We offer a range of research and consulting services for dioceses, parishes, religious communities and institutes, and other Catholic organizations. CARA’s longstanding policy is to let research findings stand on their own and never take an advocacy position or go into areas outside its social science
04/23/2026
Catholic school(s), parish religious education, and homeschooling are all contributing to men seeking and becoming Catholic priests. New from the Ordination Class of 2026. Learn more here:https://www.usccb.org/resources/Report-Ordination%20Class%202026-April%2008-FINAL.pdf
04/14/2026
In case you missed it, be sure to check out our most recent blog, which delves into the data on Gen-Z Catholics! Here's a sneak peak. Does this line up with what you know about this generation?
https://nineteensixty-four.blogspot.com/
03/23/2026
We've broken down a comparison of all the current adult Catholic generations with sufficient survey respondents from the Silent (b. 1928-45) to Gen-Z (b. 1997-2006). Are Gen-Z Catholics outnumbering Protestants? Where are Catholic converts coming from? See here: https://nineteensixty-four.blogspot.com/2026/03/talking-about-your-generation.html
02/27/2026
As Black History Month comes to a close, here are some facts about Black Catholics based on the 2024 Cooperative Election Study (CES) dataset and 2022 Pew Research Study "Black Catholics in America." We've also got a new blog up sharing more insights on Black Catholics. Be sure to check it out!
https://nineteensixty-four.blogspot.com/2026/02/black-catholics-in-united-states.html
01/30/2026
We've updated our most frequently requested Catholic Church statistics. These can be downloaded from: https://cara.georgetown.edu/faqs
01/29/2026
Catholic Media Use 2023
This survey was commissioned by a generous contribution from FAITH Catholic. However, FAITH Catholic was not involved in the research process or the writing of this report. PLEASE NOTE: This study was carried out in 2023. The findings show that much of faith engagement has gone digital—many still worship and connect online, watch religious videos, and use parish websites and bulletins. The full report can be found on our website at cara.georgetown.edu/national-catholic-polls.
01/07/2026
There has been a lot of chatter about 2025 being an exceptional year where many converts joined the Catholic Church in the U.S. What does the data say? We won't have it until mid-2026. But we can say the two years prior were above expectations. More: https://nineteensixty-four.blogspot.com/2026/01/are-people-flocking-to-catholicism-in-us.html
12/12/2025
Happy Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe!
Check out our archival Guadalupe Publications which can be purchased on our store website as PDFs!
https://cara.georgetown.edu/store
12/02/2025
We are conducting a survey of U.S. Catholic Youth and Young Adult Ministers. If you are in ministry to Catholics ages 12-25 please respond. We aim to highlight your work and provide assistance needed: https://carageorgetown.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_57p3jqlhauW9meO
11/21/2025
2016 CARA Special Report:
How Parishes in the United States Accommodate and Serve People with Disabilities
In 2016, CARA was commissioned by Potomac Community Resources, Inc., National Catholic Partnership on Disability - NCPD, Catholic Archdiocese of Washington Deaf and Disabilities Ministry, and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington to conduct the first-ever nationwide survey of how Catholic parishes, dioceses, and Catholic Charities are incorporating individuals with disabilities and their families into the single flock of the Church.
11/18/2025
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our annual Fall Awards Ceremony! We were very glad to honor the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Vocations: Dominican Sisters of Peace, and Loretto Community with the Rev. Louis V. Luzbetak, SVD, Award for Exemplary Church Research for their work towards truth and reconciliation.
These religious communities were the first to acknowledge their role in the enslavement of African Americans in the 19th century. Through memorial monuments, public apologies, archival research, and outreach to descendants, these communities are committed to honoring and remembering those whose labor and lives were profited from, working to restore the recognition and humanity they were historically denied. The communities’ ongoing ministries - in education, social justice, ecological care, and peace building - reflect both their historic mission of service and their enduring dedication to building a more just and compassionate world.
Congratulations again and thank you for your work and mission!