❓WHAT HAPPENED: New research suggests a potential stabilization in the number of Americans identifying as religious, following decades of decline.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Pew Research Center, Gregory A. Smith, Conrad Hackett, and other researchers tracking religious trends.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Perhaps in the future we’ll look back and see that we were at a pivotal moment in 2025,” said Pew’s Gregory A. Smith.
🎯IMPACT: The stabilization could influence social, cultural, and political life, potentially slowing the pace of religious and civic transformation in the U.S.
After years in which Americans steadily became less religious, new findings from the Pew Research Center show that this downward movement has flattened since 2020. The shift stands out because previous surveys had consistently recorded declines across religious identity, practice, and belief. Gregory A. Smith, Pew’s Senior Associate Director of Research, described the recent pattern as “striking.”
Christianity remains the nation’s largest religious tradition, claimed by 62 percent of U.S. adults, and its historical influence on American society and politics continues to be significant. Several indicators of religious engagement, including how often people pray, how important they say religion is, and how frequently they attend services, have held steady in recent years. Despite steep drops in religiosity over the past decade noted by Gallup, about seven in ten adults still say they belong to a religion.
Generational contrasts remain sharp: 55 percent of adults in their twenties report a religious identity, compared with 83 percent among the oldest Americans. Their practices differ as well; older adults are far more likely to pray every day (59 percent) than younger adults (30 percent). Smith pointed out that young people frequently adopt the religious routines of the households in which they grow up, though those habits may shift as they move through adulthood.
According to Pew demographer Conrad Hackett, global trends in religious change do not follow a single pattern; as he put it, “This secular transition isn’t completely uniform, and it may not be inevitable everywhere.” Researchers note that the current leveling off could persist, yet the future direction of religious affiliation in the United States remains uncertain.
“Perhaps in the future we’ll look back and see that we were at a pivotal moment in 2025,” Smith said adding, “But historical data suggests the patterns we see today are a normal result of the youngest adults possibly following the religiousness of their parents for a few years past the age of 18, after which their religiousness begins to drop.”
Some trends have shown an increased enthusiasm for Christianity among young people, particularly young men. Following the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, some observed that young men were attending Church more frequently and expressing more interest in Christianity. In Britain, young men have been flocking to the Roman Catholic Church in large numbers as well.
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