Easter remains one of the biggest dates in The Church calendar, according to new figures from Lifeway Research.

A study of U.S. Protestant pastors found that 90 per cent consider Easter one of their highest-attended services of the year, with 52 per cent saying it's typically the most attended. Another 30 per cent said it was their second-highest, and eight per cent placed it third. Christmas and Mother’s Day also draw large numbers, but Easter leads the way.

“On any given Sunday, a large minority of a congregation may not be present for worship," Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, said. "Easter is the day when the most Church members get to Church - and for a good reason: No other theme is as profound to a Christian than celebrating that they died with Christ and as Jesus was raised to life, so too Christians are now alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

The research also shows that 66 per cent of Americans believe the biblical accounts of Jesus’ physical resurrection - what Christians celebrate at Easter - are completely accurate. That figure has remained steady since 2014.

When it comes to Lent, the traditional 40-day period leading up to Easter, 26 per cent of Americans say they observe it. Catholics (59 per cent) and Hispanics (39 per cent) are among the most likely to take part, while those who rarely or never attend Church are the least likely to observe it (89 per cent).