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By Sophie Clark
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The share of Americans who identify as Christian continues to fall across the U.S, with the exception of two states, a Newsweek map shows.
However, the decline appears to be leveling out, as younger Americans buck the trend of being less religious than the generation above them, according to a Pew study.
Its Religious Landscape 2023-24 study found 62 percent of American adults identified as Christian, down from 71 percent when it was last conducted in 2014.
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Why It Matters
The U.S. has seen a steady decline in practiced Christianity across generations since the 1950s; however, while Christianity might not be practiced as much as it was a decade ago, younger generations may be returning to church.
Christianity has declined since 2014, but other religions have also grown. In 2014, 0.9 Americans identified as Muslim, now 1.2 percent of Americans do. Hinduism has also grown from 0.7 percent of the population in 2014 to 0.9 today.
What To Know
Pew Research's Religious Landscape study surveyed more than 35,000 randomly selected adults from across the country in 2023 and 2024, ten years after its previous study on the subject
The state with the largest reduction in people calling themselves Christians was Oregon, down 18 percent, followed by Missouri and Iowa, both down 15 percent.
The only two states where the share of the population identifying as Christian rose were Alaska, up 6 percent, and Delaware, up 1 percent.
The survey found that each age group sees itself as less Christian than the last, with the exception of people born between 2000-2006—the youngest age group surveyed.
That cohort were also less likely to view themselves as Christian, but bucked the trend by appearing no less religious than those in the second-youngest cohort, born in the 1990s.
In each group, 46 percent identified as Christian in the latest study—the first generation as likely to identify Christian as the previous.
"Time will tell whether the recent stability in measures of religious commitment is the beginning of a lasting shift in America's religious trajectory," the study said. "But it is inevitable that older generations will decline in size as their members gradually die."
The most practiced form of Christianity in the U.S. is Evangelical Protestantism, with 23 percent of all Americans identifying as Evangelical. The second most practiced form of Christianity is Catholicism, at 19 percent of the population, followed by Mainline Protestant, with 11 percent of the population.
The two most popular forms of Christianity for young people are Evangelical Protestantism and Catholicism, as 14 percent of all Evangelicals and 14 percent of all Catholics in the U.S. are between the ages of 18-29.
Speaking with Newsweek about the power of American Evangelism, James K. Wellman, Jr., Visiting Fellow in Divinity at the University of Edinburgh, said: "I do know that evangelical Christians are relentless in their desire to spread the gospel … their attempts never end … Don't ever underestimate the American evangelical ingenuity in bringing the gospel to places NO ONE thought it was possible."
Additionally, although the survey found that rates of Christianity have declined, the vast majority of Americans share spiritual beliefs, as 86 percent of survey respondents believe they have a soul or spirit as well as a physical body, 83 percent believe in a God or a universal spirit, and 70 percent believe in an afterlife.
Hent de Vries Professor of Religious Studies, German, Comparative Literature, and Affiliated Professor of Philosophy at NYU, spoke with Newsweek about how data-driven studies of church membership or attendance may not capture the full picture of how religion shapes our lives.
He said: "A reduction in active participation in forms of organizational religion may, paradoxically, very well go hand in hand with a deepened and broadened awareness of existential and political questions and concerns for which the so-called archives of historical religion continue to provide the most profound normative and imaginative resources."
He added that digital media may play a role in diffusing older dogmas and teachings that in the past were less alluring to younger generations.
Professor Wellman, Jr., also spoke with Newsweek about how religious affiliations with politics may be harming faith. He said: "When religion gets involved with politics, people grow weary and rightfully so," adding: "Trump knows his voters are Christian so he must affiliate. This gains evangelicals support but it hurts the faith in the sense that it stinks of hypocrisy.
"So, if the faith of many is superficial it can dislodged relatively easily. Also, is the label Christian a religious label or a political label. In our present situation the two seem to merge, you say your Christian, you must be for Trump. This helps Trump but it doesn't help the authenticity of the faith."
What People Are Saying
Gregory Smith, a senior associate director of research at Pew told the New York Times: "If you look to the long term, it's a story of decline in American religion. But it's a completely different story if you look at the short term, which is a story of stability over the last four or five years."
NYU Professor Hent de Vries told Newsweek: "I do think that the depth and historical weight of religious doctrine and spiritual practices will continue to inform public opinion, national and global politics, for both good and ill.
Professor James K. Wellman: "Without religion, a country misses a great deal: Most of it is not seen or felt or understood broadly. So, here it is:
- Public interactions create sociality and health.
- Religion encourages the care of the poor and the downtrodden.
- Religious gatherings help the lonely and create sociality that is vital for individuals.
- Religion encourages family life, marriage and children ALL signs of social health and spiritual health.
- Religious gatherings help health and support hope in people, which is all related to longer life spans.
- Religions encourage giving back, forgiveness, love and sociality."
What Happens Next
Christianity, or some form of organized religion, appears to be appealing to young people in the U.S. again. It is unclear at this time if it is a trend, or if the number of Christians in the U.S. will level out, or even grow, in the next decade.
Correction 4/3/25, 3:53 a.m. ET: The article has been updated to reflect the survey's findings related to the share of Christians in each state, rather than the total number.
Update 4/3/25, 4:17 a.m. ET: More details from the study have been included.
Update: 3/5/25 7:04 a.m. ET: This story was updated to include comment from Professor James K. Wellman, Jr., Visiting Fellow in Divinity at the University of Edinburgh.
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