Catholic retention—especially among young people in the U.S.—is generally described in the sources you provided as weaker than in highly committed evangelical Protestant communities, with a notable pattern of disconnection after key milestones (like Confirmation) and a less “culture-like,” more contingent sense of Catholic identity. However, the sources here do not give a clean, cross-denominational “retention rate by denomination” table, so any comparison must be qualitative rather than numeric. 1 2 3

What “retention” looks like in the Catholic data described here

Several themes appear in the Catholic-material you provided:

• Young Catholics often like Catholicism, but lack experience of a tight-knit Catholic culture, and their Catholic identity can be described as diffused/ambiguous and “incidental” to their relationship with Christ rather than rooted in a strong visible-ecclesial commitment. 2
• In one quoted sociological discussion, Catholicism for many young adults functions more like a “cultural tool kit” for constructing personal religious identity than as a binding community of discipleship. 2
• US Catholic bishops’ pastoral framework notes that some youth and young adults are no longer connected to or active in Catholic communities, and it explicitly mentions post-Confirmation disengagement as a common pattern. 1
• A related pastoral diagnosis (from the text you provided) describes Confirmation outcomes where many young people are seldom seen in church again, portraying Confirmation as sometimes experienced as a “ritual” that ends religious formation rather than beginning deeper discipleship. 4

Taken together, these points describe retention challenges that are not just about belief, but about community integration and ongoing discipleship. 2 4 1

Comparison with other Christian denominations (what the sources actually support)

Evangelical Protestantism (best supported comparison in your sources)

Your sources explicitly describe a comparison between young Catholics and evangelical Protestants:

• In discussing youth religiosity, one passage states that the Hoge study (Young Adult Catholics) compares Catholic young adults unfavorably with the “religious vitality” of evangelical Protestants. 3
• The same discussion is framed in terms of how religious voluntarism and pluralism can make evangelical forms of Christianity more likely to generate identity maintenance and “vital” participation. 5 3

So, with respect to evangelical Protestantism, the provided material supports the conclusion that Catholic retention/engagement (especially among young adults) is often portrayed as lower, or at least less “vital”, than in evangelical Protestant contexts. 3 5

Other Christian traditions (limited by the provided sources)

For denominational comparisons beyond evangelical Protestantism, the excerpts you provided do not supply the necessary retention-rate evidence. The texts do mention broader Protestant categories (and even discuss “Reformation” dynamics), but they do not provide a direct retention comparison for, say, mainline Protestant, Orthodox, or historically Pentecostal groups in the way your question asks. 6

Why the sources suggest Catholics may retain less (from your excerpts)

Within the Catholic-focused sociological/pastoral explanations you provided, several drivers recur:

• Loss of subculture and minority/outsider identity: Without a strong subculture “shield,” young Catholics experience boundaries that become “diffused and ambiguous,” weakening commitment to the Church as a visible organization. 2
• Formation gaps / catechesis problems: One provided text frames a “catechetical failure” and doctrinal confusion as part of the crisis affecting sustained discipleship. 7 4
• Attachment to rites without discipleship: Confirmation and religious education are described as sometimes ending rather than continuing formation, which would directly harm retention. 4
• Pluralism and identity formation pressure: In a voluntary-pluralistic environment, the question “why be Catholic rather than Protestant (or something else)?” becomes more urgent; the sources connect retention to how identity is formed and maintained. 8 5

Bottom line (what you can conclude)

• Supported comparison (qualitative): The sources you provided indicate that Catholic young-adult retention/engagement is often described as weaker than evangelical Protestant “religious vitality.” 3
• Not supported (in these excerpts): The sources do not provide a detailed, denomination-by-denomination retention metric with numbers, so a precise ranking across all Christian denominations cannot be responsibly claimed from what’s included here. 1 2 3

If you want, you can share the particular country/age group and the type of retention you mean (e.g., Mass attendance, sacramental continuity, “still identifying as Catholic,” etc.), and I can align the comparison to that definition—but that would require additional sources beyond what’s currently included in your excerpts.