Key Findings: Religion Holds Steady in America (Pew Research Center)
Pew Research Center polling indicates a period of relative stability in key measures of religiousness in the United States, starting around five years ago (since 2020). This stability follows decades of prolonged religious decline.
Steady Trends in U.S. Religiousness (Since 2020)
Affiliation: The shares of U.S. adults identifying as Christian, with another religion, or with no religion ("nones") have all remained fairly stable.
Since 2020, about 70% of U.S. adults generally identify with a religion.
Behavior and Belief: Percentages of Americans who report:
Praying every day.
Saying religion is very important in their lives.
Regularly attending religious services.
...have all held fairly steady since 2020.
Young Adults and the "Religious Revival" Question
Recent polls show no clear evidence of a nationwide religious resurgence taking place among young adults.
Overall Religiousness: Young adults remain much less religious than older Americans and are also less religious than young people were a decade ago.
The long-term decline in religiousness was primarily driven by generational shifts, as highly religious older cohorts are replaced by less religious younger cohorts.
Conversions: There is no indication that young men are converting to Christianity in large numbers.
Among adults ages 18-24, Christianity experiences a net loss through religious switching (26% are former Christians, 5% are converts).
The religiously unaffiliated ("nones") see a net gain.
Notable Shifts Among Young Adults
Gender Gap Narrowing: Young men are now about as religious as young women in the same age group, a change from the past when young women were typically more religious.
Crucially: This narrowing is due to declining religiousness among American women, not an increase in religiousness among men.
Youngest Adults vs. Predecessors: Today's youngest adults (ages 18-22/born 2003 or later) are currently at least as religious as their immediate predecessors (mid-to-late 20s).
Caution: Historical data suggests this is often a temporary pattern, where religiousness tends to decline as the youngest cohorts age and move out of their childhood homes.
Comparison to Past Young Adults (Ages 18-24)
Pew's Religious Landscape Studies (2007, 2014, 2023-24) show that young people today are less religious than young people in the past on measures like religious identity, belief in God, and frequency of prayer.
Religious Affiliation (Ages 18-24):
2007: 74%
2014: 63%
2023-24: 56%
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