Religious Practice

Explore the data on religious involvement and practice in America.

Religious Practice Charts

 
  • Religious attendance Church attendance is declining Since the 1970s, the share of those who never attend religious services or attend less than once a year increased by 53 percent, while those who attend several times a year or weekly decreased by 29 and 26 percent, respectively.
  • Religious attendance and volunteerism Religious individuals are more likely to volunteer Volunteerism among individuals who attend religious services each week tends to be greater than the national average and among those who attend less frequently.
  • Religious attendance and chartiable giving Religious individuals tend to give more to charitable causes Compared to individuals who infrequently attend religious services, those who attend weekly are more likely to give and give more to religious charitable causes. They are also more likely to give to non-religious causes than those who rarely attend religious services.
  • Religious affiliations in the U.S. One in two Americans is a Protestant Combined, Protestants constitute more than half of the U.S. adult population, followed by Catholics who constitute nearly one-fourth. One in six adults is not affiliated with any religious tradition.
  • Religious preference Affiliation with Protestantism in America is declining overall In the last four decades, overall Protestant affiliation has declined by nearly one-quarter and Jewish affiliation by nearly one-half. In contrast, the other religious affiliation rates have increased nearly four-fold and non-affiliation has increased more than three-fold.
  • Religious attendance, by religious tradition Two in five adults in the U.S. attend church at least once a week Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons are the most likely to attend services weekly or more frequently. Those who are not affiliated with any religion are the most likely to never or seldom attend religious services.
  • Strength of religious affiliation Strong religious affiliation is declining Since 1972, individuals with no religious affiliation have increased by 141 percent, while those who feel strongly affiliated with their religious tradition have declined by 15 percent. Currently, one in six is not affiliated with a religion, while one in three reports being strongly affiliated.
  • Frequency of prayer The majority of adults pray daily Just under three in five adults say they pray daily and one in five prays weekly. About one in 10 say they never pray.
  • Personal beliefs about God The majority of adults believe in God Three in five adults say they have no doubt that God exists. Altogether about nine in 10 adults believe in God or some higher power.
  • Beliefs about the Bible Most adults believe the Bible is the literal or inspired word of God About one-third of adults believe that the Bible is the literal word of God and nearly half believe it is the inspired word of God. While the percentage of people today holding the literalist view is lower than in 1984, the proportion believing the Bible is the inspired word of God is higher.
  • Percent of adults with a -born again- experience About one adult in three has had a -born again- religious experience The percentage of adults who report a -born again- experience has remained relatively stable over the past two decades.
  • Religious traditions and various characteristics Evangelicals are disproportionately young and church-going Evangelical Protestants represent one-third of the population but comprise two-fifths of young adults and nearly one-half of weekly attenders.
  • Religious traditions and education achievement Religious traditions differ in their level of educational attainment Evangelical Protestants represent one-third of high-school graduates and two-fifths of those with some college or vocational training, but only one-fifth of college graduates and those with advanced degrees.
  • Religious traditions and political preference Black and evangelical Protestants show the strongest leanings in their political affiliation Evangelical Protestants represent nearly one-fifth of Democrats, one-third of Independents, one-half of Republicans, and one-quarter of individuals with other political identification.
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