Economy Down, Church Attendance Flat

An article at BeliefNet.com Poll: No Evidence That Recession Pulls People into Pews says that a recent Gallup Poll found,

Despite anecdotal evidence cited in high-profile media outlets, Americans' worship patterns have held steady in 2008, the Gallup Poll reports. Since mid-February, Gallup said, it has asked 1,000 adults a day how often they attend church, synagogue or mosque.

About 42 percent have said they go weekly or almost weekly, with no increase in September through December, when the recession tightened its hold on the U.S. economy.

Gallup also said there have been no significant change in the percentage of Americans who say they attend church about once a month, seldom, or never.

Gallup has been polling 30,000 people a month to track the data and has found no change.

Why do you think that the tragedy of September 11 packed people into the pews, but a downturn in the economy has had no similar effect?