Few Americans identify with more than one religion
While roughly one-in-five U.S. adults say they were raised by two parents with different religions, just 6% say they now identify with multiple religions.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
All
Publications
While roughly one-in-five U.S. adults say they were raised by two parents with different religions, just 6% say they now identify with multiple religions.
Three-quarters or more of Americans are confident in the military, medical scientists and scientists in general to act in the best interests of the public. But fewer than half report similar confidence in the news media, business leaders and elected officials.
The share of Americans who do not identify with a religious group is surely growing, but there are differing ideas about the factors driving this trend.
As the percentage of U.S. adults who do not identify with a religious group grows, we asked these people to explain, in their own words, why they left.
A growing share of self-identified “evangelical or born-again” Protestants (41%) says it has become more difficult to be an evangelical Christian in the U.S. in recent years; just 34% answered the question the same way in September 2014.
They come in several basic styles, with some more favored by particular Jewish subgroups than others.
The two largest organized Jewish denominations in America – Reform and Conservative Judaism – together have about five times as many U.S. members as the historically much older, more strictly observant Orthodox community. But the Reform and Conservative movements have a far smaller footprint in Israel.
The phrase “spiritual but not religious” has become widely used in recent years by some Americans who are trying to describe their religious identity.
We sat down with Michael Hout, a professor of sociology at New York University, to examine possible reasons.
Religious “nones” make up 23% of U.S. adults, up from 16% in 2007. And only 27% of those “nones” are absolutely certain about God’s existence, down from 36% in 2007.
901 E St. NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20004
USA
(+1) 202-419-4300 | Main
(+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax
(+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries
ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It does not take policy positions. The Center conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, computational social science research and other data-driven research. Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder.
© 2024 Pew Research Center
Notifications