William O. Ware Lodge of Research

Two of many findings from a 1988 Masonic survey of fifteen states continue to stand as a testament to the reality that the institution of American Freemasonry pays little attention to the findings of Masonic surveys, even when correctable problems are identified. One finding from that survey, unsurprisingly, remains common: Masons are content to take degrees, identify themselves as a Mason, not attend Lodge, but continue to pay dues. One of the conclusions noted from the 1988 survey was foretelling: Left to its own devices, [American Freemasonry] will be half its present size in 2000 and half again in 2010. In the thirty-one years since that survey, American Freemasonry lost 58.4% of its membership.