Executive Summary
America encompasses a rich diversity of faith traditions, and “religious churning” is very common. In 2023, PRRI surveyed more than 5,600 adults across the United States about their experiences with religion. This report examines how well major faith traditions retain their members, the reasons people disaffiliate, and the reasons people attend religious services. Additionally, this report considers how atheists and agnostics differ from those who say they are “nothing in particular.” Finally, it analyzes the prevalence of charismatic elements as well as prophecy and prosperity theology in American churches and the role of charismatic Christianity in today’s Republican Party.
“Unaffiliated” is the only major religious category experiencing growth.
- Around one-quarter of Americans (26%) identify as religiously unaffiliated in 2023, a 5 percentage point increase from 21% in 2013. Nearly one in five Americans (18%) left a religious tradition to become religiously unaffiliated, over one-third of whom were previously Catholic (35%) and mainline/non-evangelical Protestant (35%).
- While the percentage of Americans who describe themselves as “nothing in particular” is similar to a decade ago (16% in 2013 to 17% in 2023), the numbers of both atheists […]
What a great and detailed article. Note the concurrent trends of those not affiliated with a religious group and those not affiliated with one of the major parties. The trends parallel and I expect for the same reason, people just no longer believe the dogma they have been forced fed. Note as well the corrupting influence of politics on religious practice. While a significant number of the population are seeking a religion which is a better “fit” for them, and it’s certainly possible, it is actively discouraged in the political arena, where citizens are pushed to be one box or the other. NPR did a good interview with two “focus groups” of six voter each. All of them were dissatisfied with the choices and were seeking other options. Listening to the voters was the most interesting part of the story. What was more typical, however, was the post interview “analysis” where the voters were characterized as “low information”. As if they need additional information for the two poor candidates advanced by the major parties. The most insulting part, however, was the typical liberal conceit of turning facts into feelings, whereby inflation and higher prices were dismissed as the voters “feelings” instead of a fact based reality. And this dear reader is why the mainstream media doesn’t get it. They refuse to actually believe what the voters are telling them, and instead prefer the dogma of “experts”.
I remember this report from Pew Research Inc that came out several years ago, when thousands of Americans claimed ‘spiritual’, but not religious. The largest numbers were with the younger generations. Many of whom had shifted to meditation without attending a physical church. And often without being anchored to the christian belief in Christ. Closer to Far Eastern practices, ie Buddhism, Buddhist. And even there, many of those who were engaged with spirituality tended to practice meditation alone. I was, am among them due to childhood experiences of religion as punitive. Sometimes even physically so. The emphasis was on sinners and sinning. Shame.
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2023/12/07/spirituality-among-americans/#:~:text=and%20religious%20categories-,7%20in%2010%20U.S.%20adults%20describe%20themselves%20as%20spiritual%20in,are%20spiritual%20but%20not%20religious&text=Pew%20Research%20Center%20conducted%20this,of%20as%20spiritual%20are%20common.