The Pew Research Center released its latest Religious Landscape Study on Wednesday. This is the nonpartisan research center’s third report of this kind on US religious identity, belief, and practice, conducted among a nationally representative sample of 36,908 respondents from July 2023 to March 2024.
The study reveals that the percentage of Americans identifying as Christian has declined over the past few decades. 62% of US adults now identify as Christian, down from 78% in 2007 and 71% in 2014. However, this decline appears to have stabilized in recent years. “Other surveys by the Pew Research Center indicate that the proportion of Christians is stabilizing between 60% and 65%,” reported La Croix.
At the same time, the proportion of Americans who are religiously unaffiliated, often referred to as “nones,” has risen. The Washington Post noted that about 29% of Americans are now religiously unaffiliated, up from 23% in 2014 and 16% in 2007. Despite this increase over the past decade, the growth of the religiously unaffiliated appears to have leveled off recently.
Younger Americans are more likely to be religiously unaffiliated. According to The Washington Post, 44% of those born in the 1990s and 43% of those born between 2000 and 2006 identify as “nones.” This contrasts sharply with older generations, indicating a generational shift in religious affiliation.
The study reports a narrowing gap in religiosity between men and women. While women have historically been more religious than men, the Pew Research Center found that this gap is closing.
In terms of other faiths, 7% of Americans identify with a religion other than Christianity, including Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism, up from 5% in 2007. The percentage of Americans identifying as Muslim has grown from 0.4% in 2007 to 1.2% in 2024, The Washington Post reported. Similarly, the share of Buddhists in the U.S. grew from 0.7% to 1.1% from 2007 to 2024.
Political affiliations appear closely tied to religious identity. Less-religious people are more likely to identify or lean toward the Democratic Party and express liberal opinions. “This phenomenon is most clearly illustrated by political attitudes,” noted The Washington Post. For the first time in the Pew study, more liberals are unaffiliated with a religion than identify as Christian. “The share of liberals who identify with no religion increased to 51% in 2024, up from 27% in 2007,” reported The Washington Post.
Conversely, more religious Americans are likelier to align with the Republican Party and express conservative opinions. “Highly religious Americans are more likely than the least-religious Americans to say that abortion should be illegal, that homosexuality should be discouraged,” stated The Washington Post. Among conservatives, 82% identify as Christian, compared with 89% in 2007, indicating a seven-point shift away from Christianity within this group.
“One of the big takeaways is … we’re seeing recent stabilization within American Christianity amid a much longer period of decline,” said Greg Smith, Pew senior associate director. He added, “That means for lasting stability to take hold in US religion, something would need to change.”
“There is a gender, family, sexuality story that I think is driving a lot of this polarization. It’s not an effect of this polarization; it’s driving it,” said Penny Edgell, a University of Minnesota sociologist and Pew expert advisor, according to The Tennessean. Edgell further noted the shifting priorities in religious affiliation. “People are in general less concerned than they used to be about religious doctrine. They are more likely to hold a set of common beliefs,” she said.
The decline in Christian affiliation encompasses all denominations. Historical Protestant denominations now represent 11% of Americans, down from 18% eighteen years ago.
Demographic shifts are also evident within Christian communities. The proportion of Hispanic Americans among Christians has increased. “Among Catholics, the percentage of Hispanic Americans has increased from 29% in 2007 to 36% in 2024,” reported La Croix. In contrast, the proportion of white Americans among Christians has decreased. “In 2007, 70% of Christians (and 80% of evangelicals) were non-Hispanic whites; by 2025, this figure has dropped to 60% (70% among evangelicals),” La Croix noted.
Despite the decline in formal religious affiliation, many Americans continue to hold spiritual beliefs. “More than 80% of Americans believe in God or a universal spirit,” reported The Washington Post. “Americans of all ages are more likely to say their spirituality has grown stronger than to say it has weakened.”
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.
This article was originally published at www.jpost.com
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