Trends in American Religious Identity: Stability, Shifts, and Political Alignments
The long-term decline in the number of Americans identifying as Christian appears to have largely stabilized. Simultaneously, the steady rise in those who consider themselves "religiously unaffiliated" has also plateaued. These insights come from a Pew Research Center survey released on Wednesday. Originally launched in 2007, Pew’s Religious Landscape Study provides a broad view of religious affiliation in the U.S., showing an increasingly secular society—especially among younger generations—while also highlighting the strong connection between religious beliefs and political leanings. Notably, for the first time, a greater percentage of liberals now identify as religiously unaffiliated than as Christian. Christianity’s Decline Has Slowed At present, 62% of Americans identify as Christian, a figure that has remained relatively consistent over the past five years but has decreased from 71% in 2014 and 78% in 2007. The latest survey reports that 40% of U.S. adults identify as P...