“What do you think about attire for Mass attendance?” July survey results... 2,791 participants.
The Catholic Newspaper and Catholic Good News of the Archdiocese of Seoul conducted a Catholic POLL from July 9 to 23 on the theme of “What do you think about attire for attending Mass?” A total of 2,791 people participated in the survey.
The majority of believers think that clothes that are too tight or see-through are inappropriate attire for Mass.
In the question asking respondents to select all attire they consider inappropriate for Mass attendance, the largest number (2,338) chose “clothing that clings to the body.” This was followed by “see-through thin clothing” (2,233), “slippers” (2,155), ‘sunglasses’ (1,962), “shorts or skirts above the knee” (1,870), “athletic wear (training suits, hiking gear, etc.)” (1,717), sleeveless tops (1,708), hats (1,653), and sandals worn barefoot (1,136). Few respondents chose sandals worn with socks (331) or knee-length shorts or skirts (296). There were also 112 respondents who believed that all of the suggested attire was appropriate for attending Mass.
When asked about their thoughts on attire for Mass attendance, most respondents answered that “inappropriate attire could make other Mass attendees uncomfortable” (1,641 people) and that “clothing appropriate for public places is acceptable for Mass” (1,352 people). The opinions that followed were, “Even if it is uncomfortable, you should wear formal attire as much as possible” (1,248 people) and “You should dress formally as usual, but light summer attire should be acceptable” (1,125 people).
“It seems that there are more restrictions on women's attire than men's” (493 people). “Wearing comfortable clothes makes it easier to attend Mass” (440 respondents). “Attending Mass is important, and it doesn't matter what you wear” (276 respondents), and “People who are bothered by others' attire are the problem” (231 respondents).
The most common item people bring to Mass is a “smart device (smartphone, tablet, etc.) for viewing daily Mass, Catholic hymns, etc.” (1,512 people). Next were books for daily Mass (1,476), rosaries (1,337), and Catholic hymns (1,109).
In the case of Mass books, 1,334 said they brought them, which corresponds to 65% of the 2,051 female respondents. On the other hand, 187 respondents said they did not bring anything to Mass. Some respondents said they brought the Catholic Prayer Book (184), the Bible (116), and church books such as the Legion of Mary textbook and devotional books (74).
33% (916) of all respondents said they always read the readings and the Gospel before Mass. 49% (1,376 people) read the readings and the Gospel occasionally, but not always, and attended Mass. 18% (499 people) did not read the readings and the Gospel before Mass.
