Religious Landscape Study

About the Religious Landscape Study (RLS)

What is the RLS?

The Religious Landscape Study (RLS) is a survey that paints a religious portrait of the United States. With more than 36,000 respondents in 2023-24, it is the largest single survey Pew Research Center conducts, allowing us to examine the religious identities, beliefs and practices of U.S. adults. The study provides nationwide data as well as information on every state, the District of Columbia, and 34 large metro areas.  

The 2023-24 RLS is the third in an ongoing series. The survey was previously conducted in 2007 and 2014.   

Where can I find the RLS data?

You can read about the findings in our report “Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed, May Have Leveled Off.” Our interactive website allows you to explore the data in more detail.

Who supported the RLS?

The RLS was made possible by The Pew Charitable Trusts, which received support from the Lilly Endowment Inc., Templeton Religion Trust, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations and the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust.

Why conduct the RLS?

The U.S. census does not ask Americans about their religion, so there are no official government statistics on the country’s overall religious composition. Moreover, nongovernmental surveys that ask Americans about religion typically include fewer questions than the RLS, or far fewer respondents, or both. The RLS aims to fill these gaps by employing detailed questions and a large sample size in order to capture representative data about numerous religious traditions.

How did you conduct the 2023-24 RLS?

The 2023-24 RLS was conducted in English and Spanish from July 17, 2023, to March 4, 2024, among a nationally representative sample of 36,908 U.S. adults. 

Respondents were recruited by mail, using address-based sampling (ABS). This approach gives nearly all U.S. adults a chance of being selected to participate. People who received our invitation had the option of completing the survey online, on paper, or by calling a toll-free number and completing the survey by telephone with an interviewer. Most respondents in the 2023-24 RLS participated online or on paper, while 3% opted to complete the interview on the telephone.

Are the results of the 2023-24 RLS comparable with those of the 2007 and 2014 studies?

In 2007 and 2014, the landscape studies were administered entirely by telephone. Because response rates to telephone surveys have dropped sharply over the past decade, we changed the design of the RLS in 2023-24. The switch from telephone “mode” in 2007 and 2014 to a mostly online/paper “mode” in 2023-24 complicates comparisons between the new survey and the previous studies.

To assess which results in the new RLS can be accurately compared with findings from our previous landscape studies, we conducted a small telephone survey (for testing purposes only) alongside the RLS. For more details, refer to Appendix A.

Which geographic areas did the survey cover?

The survey is designed to be representative of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The study’s large size also makes it possible to describe the religious characteristics of 34 large metro areas. RLS data is weighted (using benchmarks from the U.S. Census Bureau and other sources) to be representative of the adult population of each state (and D.C.), and the overall U.S. adult population by gender, age, race, ethnicity, education and other categories. Refer to the Methodology for more details.

Can I access the raw dataset myself?

Yes, a public version of the RLS dataset is available. Users should note that accessing and using the RLS dataset requires statistical software like SPSS, Stata, R, or another similar program.