The percentage of Americans identifying as Christian appears to be stabilizing after years of steady decline, according to a sweeping new Pew Research Center survey.
The study, which surveyed 36,908 U.S. adults between July 2023 and March 2024, found that 62% still identify as Christian — a sharp drop from 78% in 2007 but a figure that has remained relatively steady between 60% and 64% since 2019.
Pew researchers suggested the long-term decline in Christian affiliation may be “leveling off — at least temporarily.”
The study provides one of the most comprehensive statistical portraits of religion in the U.S., given that the U.S. Census does not track religious affiliation. It was conducted using address-based sampling, allowing respondents to complete the survey online, on paper, or by phone.
The study’s large sample size allowed for representative estimates across all 50 states and 34 major metropolitan areas.
Protestants remain the largest Christian group at 40% of the population, while Catholics make up 19%.
While both groups have declined significantly since 2007, Catholic numbers have held steady since 2014, and Protestant affiliation has remained largely unchanged since 2019. Religious disengagement, however, remains high.
Only 29% of Catholics report attending Mass at least weekly — down from 39% in 2014 — while nearly a third say they “seldom” or “never” attend.
Meanwhile, the number of religiously unaffiliated Americans, or “nones,” has plateaued at 29% after years of rapid growth.
Other measures of religious engagement have also held steady.
The share of Americans who pray daily, though lower than in previous decades, has remained between 44% and 46% since 2021. Monthly religious service attendance has hovered in the low 30s since 2020, with 33% of adults saying they attend at least once a month.
Despite declining religious identification, belief in the supernatural remains widespread.
Pew found that 86% of Americans believe they have a soul, 83% believe in God or a universal spirit, and 70% believe in an afterlife.
Researchers pointed to generational shifts as a key factor in the changing religious landscape, noting that younger Americans are far less likely to identify as Christian or practice their faith regularly than previous generations.
Christian New York Times columnist Ross Douthat said this stabilization isn’t a sign of religious revival, but rather culture “considering the possibility of one.”
“And yes absent real revival in some form the current plateau will give way to decline again,” he added on X.
• Emma Ayers can be reached at eayers@washingtontimes.com.