>Cafeteria Catholics are not real Catholics. It is to be pitied that the Catholic segment does not break down between Traditional Catholics and Mainline Catholics.<
All respondents are self identified so survey includes Christmas and Easter Christians of all denominations.
Agreed. The problem surely lies in the definition of Catholic. The "Catholic" poll data certainly includes many millions of nonbelievers who were raised in Catholic homes. A great many kids from Catholic families, especially if they go to Catholic schools, go through the rituals of first communion, first confession, confirmation, serving as altar boys, etc, simply because they are told to do so at a certain age by their parents, school, and community -- regardless of whether or not they have a shred of real faith. (My wife says that she was the only real believer in her confirmation class -- the rest of them were just going through the motions because it was expected of them.) Unfortunately, later in life, when these pedobaptised/catechised/confirmed unbelievers are asked what religion they are, they often answer, "Catholic".
By contrast, in Evangelical churches, there's a strong emphasis on personally deciding, personally committing, to Christ., yet there is no set timetable for doing so -- if you repent and ask to be baptised at 3, or 30, or 103, or never, that's your decision. As a result, kids raised up in that environment, if they have NOT chosen Christ on their own, generally KNOW it, and if asked about their religion they will answer, "No, I'm not a Christian".
When a guy like me goes to college, and the "Catholic" kids are are all sleeping around, partying hard, etc while many of the "Evangelicals" are living rightly, that definitely influences one's perception. My Catholic Mom should have been a counterbalance but for the fact that, as long as Dad (who hated religion) was still alive, she kept her mouth shut about religion. I never knew she was anything more than a nominal believer til Dad died.
In fact I never encountered ANY Catholics who (as far as I could tell), had a real, personal, life-transforming walk with Christ until I'd been immersed in Evangelicalism for a good many years -- and it seems like most of them are converts from Evangelicalism! I don't know what to make of that fact.