And these problems from college continue as they progress further into adulthood:

• They are less likely to attend Mass regularly or to consider Mass attendance important for being a good Catholic
• "The long-term trend in the level of Catholics’ commitment to the church from 1987 to 2005 was moderately downward"
• Young adults "do not feel obliged to attend Mass every week, go to confession every year, or even marry in the Church"
• Only one fourth go to Mass on a weekly basis.
• Less than half believe that the teaching authority claimed by the Vatican is very important
• A majority disagree with church teachings related to sexual and reproductive issues: "Young adults are troubled by the discrepancy between church teachings on sexual and reproductive issues in their own views on topics such as artificial birth control, abortion, homosexuality…”

and the result is that when they start their own families…

• “A sizable number of young adults report that they do not understand their faith well enough to explain it to their own children”

(Source for all above: Catholic News Service story April 5, 2007 "Study of US Catholics Cites Young Adults as Problem for Church," reviewing the book American Catholics Today: New Realities Of Their Faith And Their Church, by William V. D’Antonio, Davidson, Hoge, and Gautier.  Data from a 2005 telephone survey by the Gallup organization, comparing results with similar surveys in 1987, 1993, and 1999, and with other sociological studies of Catholics conducted by the authors in recent years.)