USA: Religion Demographics
Have you heard the U.S. is becoming less and less religious? That’s likely prompted by the following statistics you may have seen dominating news headlines. Here’s what you should know about the major changes in religious demographics in the country.
Religion is Less Important to Americans
Compared to 1965 when 70 percent of Americans considered religion to be “very important” to them, only 49 percent of Americans said the same in 2021.
Now you don’t have to just take their word for it. This comes across in their actions as well. Church attendance is also declining. While most Americans would say they have a religious preference, a much smaller proportion regularly attend religious services.
In 2021, U.S. adults were polled as to whether they had attended church, synagogue, mosque, or temple in the past seven days. An average of 29 percent of U.S. adults reported that had done so either in person or virtually.
Compared to past statistics, this was a stark decline. In 2000, 44 percent had gone to church in the past seven days while 49 percent had in 1958.
This long-term decline in church attendance can be linked to an overall drop in religious identification, specifically in Protestant religions. That said, there is also decreasing weekly attendance among U.S. Catholics.