Christians Decline Sharply as Share of Population; Unaffiliated and Other Faiths Continue to Grow

[kwassa]

Source: Pew Research Center

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.

To be sure, the United States remains home to more Christians than any other country in the world, and a large majority of Americans – roughly seven-in-ten – continue to identify with some branch of the Christian faith.1 But the major new survey of more than 35,000 Americans by the Pew Research Center finds that 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.

The drop in the Christian share of the population has been driven mainly by declines among mainline Protestants and Catholics. Each of those large religious traditions has shrunk by approximately three percentage points since 2007. The evangelical Protestant share of the U.S. population also has dipped, but at a slower rate, falling by about one percentage point since 2007.2

Even as their numbers decline, American Christians – like the U.S. population as a whole – are becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. Non-Hispanic whites now account for smaller shares of evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants and Catholics than they did seven years earlier, while Hispanics have grown as a share of all three religious groups. Racial and ethnic minorities now make up 41% of Catholics (up from 35% in 2007), 24% of evangelical Protestants (up from 19%) and 14% of mainline Protestants (up from 9%).


Read more: http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/Link to source

[niyad]

1. this explains, in part, the near-hysteria of the christian reichwingnutjobs. it's called "death

throes".

[BlancheSplanchnik]

18. I wish they'd hurry it up.

Croak already, fascist fundy puke bags.

[valerief]

29. I second that motion! nt

[BlancheSplanchnik]

30. ...

[cosmicone]

2. Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeesus Chriiiiiiiiiiiiist n/t

[longship]

3. Well, this has to be partially the result of Fundy Christian lunacy.

If one listens to what many in the theocratic GOP are saying, one has to reconsider ones beliefs.

Myself, I am a lifelong atheist. I would not blame a believer to have doubts about organized religion given the lunatic rhetoric from the religious right, and the GOP. These people are the loudest religious spokespeople and they are universally mad as hatters.

[Arugula Latte]

15. And the Internet. People can compare notes on the lack of clothing on the emperor.

[DemoTex]

4. Mahatma Gandhi on Christians:

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

[Iliyah]

17. Amen, that describes many of the so called Christians here in the USA

[Bernardo de La Paz]

24. Spot on. nt

[Skittles]

32. "I love Jesus; his fanbase, not so much."

Last edited Wed May 13, 2015, 03:12 AM - Edit history (1)

[secondwind]

5. this is what happens when you try to shove religion down our throats... n/t

[whatthehey]

6. Posts 1 and 3 need to review the diffferential decline among fundies and, supposedly, non-fundies

When "Mainline" (much smaller than Evangelicals despite the name) Protestants and Catholics are losing adherents at 3 times the rate of Evangelicals, we can hardly take this decline as indicative of anti-fundy backlash.

Instead it's likely a sign that the further away from over the top fire and brimstone lunacy you get, the more opportunity, greater likelihood and less disincentive there is for escaping from indoctrination altogether.

Sadly, heck terrifyingly, the clear inference, borne out by RW theo-politics of late, is that the smaller US Christianity becomes, the crazier and more theocratic it will become. And there's a hell of a long way before it dips under 50%.....

[Gore1FL]

7. The fundies drive people oput of the mainstream churches

Just like the tea party fringe drives independents to the left. In both cases the brand is poisoned. Additionally, I suspect separation from the fringe allows for easier introspection in such an environment than for those in the fringe.

[whatthehey]

11. I see no evidence or even argument for that.

Since the Tea Party arose, the electoral success of anything left of center has decreased, and Republicans have moved rightwards to great political success. We get the presidency more thanks to demographics than to folks fleeing the far right.

If fundies caused people to flee non-fundy churches, why would they not flee the fundy churches more? If the 3 to 1 ratio were reversed this may make sense, but neither in politics nor religion have we seen much aggregate impact from those fleeing extremism in their groups. Surely we have anecdotes and individual cases like Chaffee and Crist, but even if we forget the likelihood of political opportunism (neither is loony enough to get the Rep. nomination these days), they sure as heck aren't bringing millions of sensible Republican disaffected into the Dem tent with them and nor are the likes of Bryan Fischer driving people to atheism en masse. Atheists in the groups I've interacted with sometimes surely come from the fundy fringe at times, but far more often from Catholicism, wishy-washy Anglican-type groups and vaguely deistic apathy. The ex-fundies are frequently scarred and edgy personalities, understandably so given their far more challenging and wrenching deconversions.


Your last point I obviously agree with. That I suspect, as I said, explains a lot of the greater dispersal from less crazy denominations. When questioning Balaam's talking donkey gets you excommunicated by your snake-handling pastor and belt-whipped at home, there's less likelihood of becoming an open non-believer than if you just get a sad headshake from Great Aunt Violet when you say you suspect they just found some spare wine at the wedding feast.

But again, the trouble with this shift is we will in a generation be left with a Christianitty that is overwhelmingly dominated by the nutsy fundamentalists, even more than they dominate now with just a plurality thanks to their greater commitment, funding, better PR and so on. Bangladesh here we come.

[Gore1FL]

13. Fundies think what they are doing to Christianity is awesome

The poison that they create causes non-fundies to to re-evaluate their beliefs.

[erronis]

10. And "in the end" there was only one

And that "one" is another isolated, angry loner who seeks revenge on society...

Unfortunately there are many crazies ready to take up the mantle of lunacy to wage a few more jihads/crusades.

I recently came across a new term for someone who can't decide between atheism and agnosticism: apatheism (you get it, apathetic about the whole theism thing.)

[TBF]

8. Here in TX the mega churches are strong -

but the traditional brands are not doing as well. They require 10% of your income to join & they ask for tax statements. I kid you not. That may be the part of the story people aren't talking about - who can afford that?

[StevieM]

21. Seriously? Churches ask for 10% of your income? I didn't realize that was common.

Last edited Tue May 12, 2015, 04:39 PM - Edit history (1)

I would have no way of knowing myself, since I was never a member. But I had thought that only the Mormons ask for 10%.

Is that 10% after taxes, or before? And do you have to give them 10% of your tax refund after you deduct it?

Why do these little churches need such a high tithing amount? Is it that expensive to run a church? Does it cost that much for rent and a minister's salary?

[TBF]

22. They tell you at the "welcome lunch"

Before you join. I don't know if it's pre or post tax because I didn't actually join and get that level of detail. Many of these churches do a lot of good deeds in the community, but they also do it with the purpose of increasing membership so not entirely altruistic. I am agnostic myself.

[Kelvin Mace]

9. So, the mainstream denominations are losing

people, so soon only the crazies will be left.

[happyslug]

12. More a reflection of the drop in income then anything else

When Income drops, people's ability to join groups decline.. Thus the decline in religion is also reflected in the decline in people joining Volunteer Fire Departments, bowling leagues, and volunteering for Little Leagues. If you do not have the money, you do not join. If you do not have the time, for you are working two jobs and commuting between the two and home, you do not join. All volunteer groups memberships are down.

This means you are seeing a slow bread up of society, for such volunteer groups (which include Churches and other Religious institutions, but also Volunteer Fire Departments and even Bowling leagues) are the base society sits on. These are the groups that people first discuss changes in society. Most Unions started in Church's basements, as members of that church who also worked for the same employer got together and discuss things they had in common (Unions and most other groups then expanded to include non church members but many stayed in church basements for decades till they had the funds for a Union Hall).

Thus since 1980 Income has declined and full time employment has declined and with those declines the time and money to join has been greatly reduced. Thus despite massive Legal immigration, minor religions have barely increased, but membership in Christian Churches have declined. Most people end up in churches they parents went to, but given the need to move where the jobs on, it is no surprising today's youth is embracing "religiously unaffiliated" (Atheism seems to be stuck at the same percentage it has been for decades, it is people saying they are Agnostic or Non-Affiliated to any religion groups that have seen the largest jump. again more do to economic situations then any other).

If people are secure in income and housing (i.e, have a steady job that pays a decent wage) they then tend to want to join groups in their community. Thus in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s you saw increases in people joining Churches, the Depression was over, incomes were increasing and people wanted to be full members of their local community. That all changed in the 1980s as Income for the people in the bottom 90% income brackets stagnated and then declined. along with job security (and Union Membership).

As I have pointed out before this is NOT a good sign for Society as a whole. The decline in membership in various religions shows a decline in people thinking themselves as members of a viable society. This was Europe and the USA in the late 1800s and the early 1900s (Church membership down, other volunteer groups down etc), before WWI and the Russian, German, Hungarian and other revolutions of the 1918-1921 period (England, France and Italy also had massive social unrest, as did the USA during that period, the Armistice of 11-11-1918 was more to release troops to put down social unrest in Germany, England, France and Italy then to end WWI).

Just a comment that this is NOT good and will NOT lead to anything good for the cause for the decline is bad.

[Arugula Latte]

16. I take strong issue with your assertion that this is not a positive.

The more church attendance declines and the fewer younger people get indoctrinated into irrational belief systems, the better. Christianity has had a grip on the throat of this country for far too long. It's based on mythological nonsense and is inherently patriarchal and anti-science, as are most major religions that depend on magical and supernatural beliefs outside the laws of science. The acceptance of and deference showed toward "faith" has had devastating effects on this society.

Also, it's not as simple as "people aren't joining groups anymore = bad" because the Internet has fundamentally changed the whole landscape of social interaction anyway.

The most thriving countries in the world have seen sharp declines in religious belief in recent decades.

[happyslug]

27. This survey is Church Affiliation NOT Attendence

Affiliation vs Attendence

Thus US, Canada and Europe's church attendance today is way lower then Church Affiliation and has dropped in all these counties over the last few decades. Germany is a good example of this, church attendance is way down from what it was in the 1950s but church affirmation has held its own, this can be seen in how the Germans pay their "Church Tax".

Since at least the 1880s, as part of tax withholding, Germans have there donation to the Church included in such deductions. This was agreed between the Vatican and Bismark, but the agreement, while aimed as Catholics (to end Bismark's fight with the Vatican), also applies to Protestants and other religions (including Jewish groups prior to Hitler). People can opt out of the deduction, but few do. The amount provided by this system has NOT changed that much, even as church attendance has dropped in Germany (and since Alsace-Lorraine was part of Germany at that time period, this also applies to that area of Modern France). Thus a lot of people do not attend church in Europe, but see themselves as members of "their church".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_tax

Just pointing out this is a survey of church AFFILIATION in the US, not attendance, your comment is to attendance in Western Europe, not affiliation. Attendance is down, but affilation appears to holding its own in Europe, at least by the Church Tax Numbers.

Side Note: The Church Tax has a side affect in some areas, Former East Germany comes under the Church Tax Collected by modern Germany but did not have one in the days of Communism. Thus a sizable number of "atheists" in what use to be East Germany MAY be atheists for Tax purposes. To a degree the lower rate of Atheism in Italy may reflect a desire to control who gets the Church Tax as opposes to actually belonging to a religion. I mention this to show that some of the people survey may have reasons to answer the way they did other then how they actually seen themselves. You have to watch any survey with care for such prejudices kicking in.

[Arugula Latte]

28. A decline in affiliation is also a very good thing, IMO.

[happyslug]

31. But the people dropping Affiliation are also NOT joining little leagues or volunteer fire departments

Last edited Wed May 13, 2015, 10:46 AM - Edit history (1)

And that is bad. We need volunteers, and along with religious affiliation, volunteering outside or religion is also down. Thus this drop in affiliation is an indication that society has less people willing or able to work together as members of Society to improve their local community (which is the first step in improving society).

That is my point, if this was a drop in isolation, then your position would have a sound base, but the drop reflects an overall drop in such volunteers for ANY and ALL groups. These volunteers are the people who get things started in most communities and the net has NOT replace them in that function for we are NOT members of the same GEOGRAPHICAL society.

Where do you go to get volunteers to clean up the local play ground? You go where volunteers are, OR you arrange in places in your community to push for volunteers for such actions. The Net can be helpful in that regard, but community bulletin boards may be better. Visiting the local volunteer fire department will be better as would be going to other community groups. These are where volunteers end up, for these are places they can meet to do something to help their community. Churches, Mosques, Synagogues are excellent places to look for people to volunteer to do something in the Community (along with libraries). Once connected to people who volunteer, other volunteers can be connected for such volunteers tend to volunteer for more the one function to help their community.

The problem is people have less time then they parents did to volunteer to do things and that is do to less income and more time working (or in cases of people holding two part times jobs, time commuting between those jobs). This lack of money and time is what is driving this drop in volunteering as while as the drop in Religious Affiliation. That drop in volunteering is bad.

In many ways this is like the Doctor who said "I have great news, you have lost all of your excess weight, but I am sorry because it is due to you dying of Cancer". Losing excess weight is good, but losing because you are dying of cancer is not. The same here, the drop in church affiliation reflects a drop in joining any community group, and the later is just plain bad.

[meow2u3]

14. That's what fundies get for trying to shove their idea of religion down people's throats

Fundies are so caught up in their cult-like devotion to their idea of what Chrisitanity should be, coupled with rank hypocrisy, that they don't see their excesses are driving people away from not only the faith of their parents, but religion itself.

[Augiedog]

19. If whom you pray to "Hates" then it is not a god, just another demon

[RussBLib]

20. Yea!

It's no wonder the GOP hates science, because advancing science eats away at the pool of gullible believers.

The internet has something to do with that, I'm sure, thanks to the spreading of information previously attainable only with great effort.

The growth of Islam is troubling, however, as that religion is centuries behind Christianity in evolution.

[FLPanhandle]

23. Too bad not all religions are declining

Christians dropping but Islam increasing is just swapping a population believing in one fantasy for another.

I'd love to see the day when all religions are in steep decline.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

25. No. Read the article. The number of people stating Atheist/Agnotic/not-important is increasing. nt

[Arugula Latte]

26. I think the rise of Islam is happening more elsewhere than in the US.

So overall it's good news in this country, but, yeah, definitely, the day the Abrahamic religions in particular wither away completely will be a good one for the entire planet.