Black adults in the U.S. South more likely than those in other regions to attend a Black congregation

Worship habits among Black Christians in the South, where African American churches date back to the 1770s, have long differed from practices of Black Americans in other parts of the United States. Contrasting styles of worship were a source of tension after the Civil War and during mass migrations of Southern Black people to Northern cities, when Black Northerners objected to expressive forms of worship that were common in the South, such as dancing in church.

Today, there are few regional differences among Black Americans when it comes to worship styles, but Black Southerners diverge from other Black Americans – especially Northeasterners and Westerners – in other ways when it comes to religion, according to a recent Pew Research Center report based on a survey of 8,660 Black U.S. adults.