THE NARROWING REGIONAL GAP IN CHURCH ATTENDANCE IN THE UNITED-STATES

Students of the South have postulated that southern distinctiveness is eroding. Using General Social Survey data for 1972-1991, the converge nce hypothesis is tested for regular church attendance. Regional conve rgence is found, but only for the rural South. Also, narrowing of regi onal differences in church attendance is especially pronounced among t he young, indicating that the convergence is likely to continue. Despi te these results, present church attendance levels remain significantl y higher in the South than in the nonSouth.