By Aaron Earls
While some churches often wrestle with changing their evening services on Super Bowl Sunday, most evangelicals have their minds made up. They’re watching the game.
A new survey from Public Religion Research Institute finds 53 percent of white evangelical Protestants say they are very likely to watch the game. That’s 10 points higher than the national average of 43 percent.
By comparison, half of white mainline Protestants say they are very likely to tune in to the Super Bowl. Catholics (41 percent) and the religiously unaffiliated (34 percent) are less likely to be watching.
Gender and age also play a role in who says they are very likely to watch the Carolina Panthers take on the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50.
Not surprisingly, men are more likely than women to say they are very likely to have their eyes on the TV (49 percent vs. 38 percent).
The trend of millennials watching less television extends to the Super Bowl. Only 3 in 10 (30 percent) of young adults say they are very likely to watch, compared to 40 percent of seniors and 49 percent of middle-aged.
For Americans as a whole, 43 percent say they are very likely to be tuned in, 25 percent say they are somewhat likely, and 31 percent say they are not too likely or not at all likely to watch.
Even though a majority of evangelicals plan to watch the Super Bowl, it’s not because they think God is concerned with the big game. A recent poll by Lifeway Research found more than 8 in 10 evangelicals (83 percent) say God doesn’t care who wins the Super Bowl. An even greater share of all Americans (88 percent) agree.
For those looking to throw a Super Bowl party, make sure you know the NFL guidelines for church gatherings, read these tips for hosting a small group party, and try these four easy recipes.
AARON EARLS (@WardrobeDoor) is online editor of Facts & Trends.
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