AOL reports that the percentage of people who check their e-mail in church is increasing _ from 12 percent last year to 15 percent this year _ based on a 20-city survey it conducted.

Of its 10 “Most Addicted Email Cities,” Houston earned the designation for the place where people are most likely to miss a hymn or part of the sermon because of the distraction of e-mail: a whopping 30 percent of e-mail users polled in that city said they check their e-mail from church.

Others with significant percentages included New York (21 percent); Chicago (18 percent), Phoenix (17 percent); and Orlando, Fla. (16 percent).In four cities – San Francisco, Denver, Detroit, and Sacramento, Calif. – 13 percent of respondents admitted to the habit.

Minneapolis, which had no one reporting that they checked e-mail messages in church in 2007, is now up to 10 percent.

The AOL survey, in partnership with Beta Research, was conducted online of 4,000 e-mail users ages 13 and older between June 11-18.