How often do Americans think about spiritual matters or feel moved in spiritual ways? Large majorities of U.S. adults say they experience various kinds of spiritual thoughts and feelings at least several times a year, according to the new Religious Landscape Study (RLS).
For example, 93% of U.S. adults say that they feel a sense of awe at the beauty of nature several times a year or more often. This includes 61% who say they experience this feeling at least once a week.
Nearly as many (91%) say they feel a strong sense of gratitude or thankfulness at least several times a year, including 62% who report feeling deeply grateful on a weekly basis or more often. Large shares of Americans also say they think about the meaning and purpose of life at least several times a year (84%) and feel a deep sense of wonder about the universe (80%) that often.
Smaller majorities of U.S. adults say they feel a deep sense of spiritual peace and well-being (74%), a deep sense of connection with humanity (72%), or the presence of something from beyond this world (61%) several times a year or more often.59
Jump to sections in this chapter on the survey’s questions about:
- Feeling a sense of awe at the beauty of nature
- Feeling a strong sense of gratitude or thankfulness
- Thinking about the meaning and purpose of life
- Feeling wonder about the universe
- Feeling spiritual peace and well-being
- Feeling a connection with humanity
- Feeling the presence of something from beyond this world
Feeling a sense of awe at the beauty of nature
Upward of six-in-ten Americans (61%) say they feel a sense of awe at the beauty of nature at least once a week. An additional 32% report that they feel awed by nature once or twice a month or several times a year. Relatively few (6%) say they seldom or never feel a sense of awe at the beauty of nature.
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (widely known as Mormons) and evangelical Protestants are especially likely to say they feel awe at the beauty of nature weekly or more often (74% and 72%, respectively).
Feeling a strong sense of gratitude or thankfulness
Most Americans (62%) feel a strong sense of gratitude or thankfulness weekly or more often, and an additional 29% feel this way once or twice a month or several times a year. Relatively few Americans (8%) seldom or never feel a strong sense of gratitude.
Among Christian groups large enough to analyze in the survey, the shares saying they feel a strong sense of gratitude or thankfulness at least weekly range from 59% of Orthodox Christians to 78% each among evangelical Protestants and Latter-day Saints. Most Muslim Americans (61%) also say they feel a strong sense of gratitude or thankfulness that often.
Roughly half of Jewish Americans (52%), Buddhists (47%) and Hindus (47%) say they experience a strong sense of gratitude or thankfulness on a weekly basis, along with 46% of religiously unaffiliated adults.
Thinking about the meaning and purpose of life
Overall, 46% of Americans say they think about the meaning and purpose of life at least once a week, and 38% say they think about this on a monthly or yearly basis. Another 15% of U.S. adults say they seldom or never think about the meaning of life.
Majorities of Latter-day Saints (65%), people who belong to historically Black Protestant churches (64%) and evangelical Protestants (58%) say they think about the meaning and purpose of life at least weekly.
Feeling wonder about the universe
Upward of four-in-ten Americans (41%) say they feel a deep sense of wonder about the universe weekly or more often. An additional 39% say they experience this once or twice a month or several times a year, and 19% seldom or never feel a deep sense of wonder about the universe.
Overall, 42% of adults who identify with a religion and 39% of religiously unaffiliated people say they feel a deep sense of wonder about the universe at least weekly.
Feeling spiritual peace and well-being
Four-in-ten Americans feel a deep sense of spiritual peace and well-being at least once a week, while an additional 34% say they feel this kind of peace on a monthly or yearly basis. Meanwhile, 25% say they seldom or never feel a deep sense of spiritual peace.
Among Christians, 49% report feeling a deep sense of spiritual peace on a weekly basis, including most Latter-day Saints (64%) and members of evangelical (60%) and historically Black Protestant (59%) churches.
People who identify with religions other than Christianity are somewhat less likely than Christians to report feeling a deep sense of spiritual peace on a weekly basis (38% vs. 49%).
About one-in-five religiously unaffiliated adults feel a deep sense of spiritual peace at least weekly, including 24% of those who say their religion is “nothing in particular,” 16% of agnostics and 15% of atheists.
Feeling a connection with humanity
Upward of one-third of Americans (34%) say they feel a deep sense of connection with humanity at least once a week. An additional 37% feel this way once or twice a month or several times a year, and 26% seldom or never feel a deep sense of connection with humanity.
Nearly half of U.S. Muslims (48%), members of the historically Black Protestant tradition (47%) and Latter-day Saints (46%) feel a deep sense of connection with humanity at least weekly.
Feeling the presence of something from beyond this world
One-third of U.S. adults say they feel the presence of something from beyond this world at least once a week, and 28% report having such an experience on a monthly or yearly basis. An additional 38% seldom or never feel the presence of something from beyond this world.
Latter-day Saints (56%) and evangelical Protestants (52%) are especially likely to feel the presence of something from beyond this world on a weekly basis.
Religiously unaffiliated adults, on the other hand, are far less likely to say they have such an experience weekly or more often. Most atheists (84%) and agnostics (66%) say they seldom or never feel the presence of something from the beyond.
