WASHINGTON | A major Pew Research Center survey is giving religious leaders, demographers and community institutions a more complicated picture of American faith than the familiar story of steady decline.
Pew reported that 62% of U.S. adults identify as Christian in its 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study. That share is down from 78% in 2007 and 71% in 2014, but Pew also found that the decline has slowed and may have leveled off in recent years.
The stabilization matters because religion remains a major force in American family life, politics, schools, charity, civic organizing and local identity. A slower decline does not mean a return to the religious landscape of earlier decades, but it does suggest that the country may be entering a new phase rather than simply continuing the same downward line.
The religiously unaffiliated remain a large part of the story. Pew’s survey found that the unaffiliated share has also been relatively stable in recent years, even after rising sharply over a longer period. That group includes atheists, agnostics and people who say they have no particular religion, but it is not one uniform bloc.
For churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and community ministries, the data points to a practical challenge. Institutions can no longer assume inherited loyalty, but neither should they assume that spiritual interest has disappeared. Many Americans continue to hold beliefs, participate in rituals, seek community and ask moral questions even when formal affiliation changes.
Generational differences remain important. Younger adults are less likely than older adults to identify with a religious tradition, and that pattern affects everything from congregation size to religious education to how faith communities communicate online. A plateau in national numbers does not erase the long-term pressure created by age, migration, marriage patterns and changing social norms.
The findings also matter for public life because religious identity often intersects with political affiliation, race, geography and education. Faith communities continue to shape debates over schools, abortion, immigration, poverty, criminal justice, foreign policy and local service work. Accurate religious data helps prevent broad assumptions about what believers or nonbelievers think.
The safest conclusion is that American religion is changing, not disappearing. Christianity remains the country’s largest religious identity, unaffiliation remains historically high, and smaller religious communities continue to contribute to a more diverse public square. The long-term direction may still change, but the latest Pew data shows a pause that deserves attention.
Additional Reporting By:Pew Research Center; Associated Press.