Study: Christianity in America is no longer in decline

For years, observers have charted the gradual decline of Christianity’s dominance in postmodern America.

As the generations raised in church pews began to die, scholars wondered if Christianity – and religion in general – would maintain its influence.

According to recent research, there’s reason to hope it will.

The Pew Research Center released its latest Religious Landscape Study on Wednesday, showing the decline in Christianity has leveled off. 

In 2007, 78% of adults identified as Christian. By 2014, that dropped to 71%. In 2019, it was even lower, at 63%. 

But five years later, the 2024 survey found the number of Christian Americans remaining stable at 63%. 

Additionally, rates of praying daily and attending a religious service at least once a month have both held steady since the pandemic.  

Religious affiliation in general has increased over the past two decades, though adherents of non-Christian religions remain a small minority. 

For example, only 0.4% of the population was Muslim in 2007. Now, it’s 1.2%.  

Overall, all of the non-Christian religions have risen from 4.7% to 7.1% during the same span. 

The study identified other ways in which religion remains significant for the majority of Americans. 

Pew found that 74% of married Americans have a spouse of the same religion. 

And most people still hold basic religious beliefs, such as the idea that people have a soul as well as a body (86%), that there is a God or “universal spirit” (83%), that there is a supernatural world (79%), and that there is an afterlife (70%). 

The study also examined other hot-button issues, including LGBTQ rights, abortion, parenting, and the role of religion in morality.