Christians Decline Sharply as Share of Population; Unaffiliated and Other Faiths Continue to Grow
The
Christian share of the U.S. population is declining, while the number
of U.S. adults who do not identify with any organized religion is
growing, according to an extensive new survey by the Pew Research
Center. Moreover, these changes are taking place across the religious
landscape, affecting all regions of the country and many demographic
groups. While the drop in Christian affiliation is particularly
pronounced among young adults, it is occurring among Americans of all
ages. The same trends are seen among whites, blacks and Latinos; among
both college graduates and adults with only a high school education; and
among women as well as men. (Explore the data with the Pew Research Center interactive database tool.)
The percentage of adults (ages 18 and older) who describe themselves as
Christians has dropped by nearly eight percentage points in just seven
years, from 78.4% in an equally massive Pew Research survey in 2007 to
70.6% in 2014. Over the same period, the percentage of Americans who are
religiously unaffiliated – describing themselves as atheist, agnostic
or “nothing in particular” – has jumped more than six points, from 16.1%
to 22.8%. And the share of Americans who identify with non-Christian
faiths also has inched up, rising 1.2 percentage points, from 4.7% in
2007 to 5.9% in 2014. Growth has been especially great among Muslims and
Hindus, albeit from a very low base.
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