Protestant churchgoers are less likely to report seeing people in the pews engaged in adoption and foster care compared to a few years ago, according to a recent report by Lifeway Research.
In the report, Lifeway found that, among Protestant churchgoers in the United States, 16% saw a member provide foster care, 13% saw a member adopt a child from the U.S., and 11% saw a member adopt a child from another country.
The numbers are below those reported in 2017, when 25% saw a member provide foster care, 17% saw a member adopt a child from the U.S., and 15% saw a member adopt a child from another country.
Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research said, “It is likely the pandemic limited some families in considering foster care or adoption. But the need is still great in the U.S. and could grow larger in states with abortion restrictions.”
While there was an apparent drop in personal involvement in adoption and foster care, Lifeway also found that the amount of support coming from church leaders for adoption and foster care had largely increased compared to 2017.
The decline in adoption and foster care has been a years-long trend in the U.S., in general, according to a 2022 report from the National Council for Adoption, which noted that Fiscal Year 2021 saw the lowest number of public sector adoptions since Fiscal Year 2015.