Yesterday, The Pew Forum published the findings from their U.S. Religious Landscape Survey. After interviewing over 35,000 Americans ages 18+, researchers discovered that a startling 28% of American adults have left the faith in which they were raised in favor of another religion - or no religion at all. Key findings from the study include:
U.S. Religious Traditions
- Christian = 78.4%
>> Protestant = 51.3%
>> Catholic = 23.9%
>> Mormon = 1.7%
>> Jehovah’s Witness = 0.7%
- Other Religions = 4.7%
>> Jewish = 1.7%
>> Buddhist = 0.7%
>> Muslim = 0.6%
>> Hindu = 0.4%
- Unaffiliated = 16.1%
>> Atheist = 1.6%
>> Agnostic = 2.4%
Growth Rates
factors adults entering and leaving each group
- +700%= Agnostic
- +220% = Atheist
- +75.0% = Buddhist
- +33.3% = Muslim
- +16.7% = Jehovah’s Witness
- 0.0% = Hindu
- -4.8% = Protestant
- -5.6% = Mormon
- -10.5% = Jewish
- -23.9% = Catholic
Interesting Trends
- Men are significantly more likely than women to claim no religious affiliation. Nearly one-in-five men say they have no formal religious affiliation, compared with roughly 13% of women.
- Among people who are married, nearly four-in-ten (37%) are married to a spouse with a different religious affiliation. (This figure includes Protestants who are married to another Protestant from a different denominational family, such as a Baptist who is married to a Methodist.) Hindus and Mormons are the most likely to be married (78% and 71%, respectively) and to be married to someone of the same religion (90% and 83%, respectively).
- Jehovah’s Witnesses have the lowest retention rate of any religious tradition. Only 37% of all those who say they were raised as Jehovah’s Witnesses still identify themselves as Jehovah’s Witnesses. [Note: They still have an overall +16.7% growth rate because of new converts.]
It is sobering to see Protestantism dwindling at a rate of -4.8% while Agnostics, Atheists, Buddhists, and Muslims grow at incredibly strong rates. I cannot help but introspect what role I might play in the blame. Have I been maximizing my ministry potential? Is there anything more I can be doing to make a greater difference for God’s kingdom? These are questions that I believe we all must ask. When faced with such grim statistics, I believe it is our responsibility to reevaluate our lives, our actions, and our ministries.
It reminds me of the parable of the lost sheep (Matthew 18:12-14 Amplified):
What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray and gets lost, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountain and go in search of the one that is lost? And if it should be that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not get lost. Just so it is not the will of My Father Who is in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost and perish.
For Discussion:
- What do you think are the causes of America’s religion shift?
- What do you think is the church’s responsibility about it?