According to Lifeway Research, in 2000, 42% of Americans attended religious services weekly or nearly every week. This figure fell to 38% after 2010 and now stands at 30% in the most recent studies. Some beliefs, such as the Jewish and Muslim faiths, report slight increases in attendance. Most sociologists would be quick to point to the Covid-19 pandemic as  reasons for an initial decline. There may have been a slight increase over the years, but that has essentially plateaued. 

Many Americans admit to no official religious affiliation. Some contributing factors include church scandals, lack of identification with TV evangelism, personal politics and general religious skepticism. Studies show that more than 50% of the U.S. see religion as unimportant. Contemporary America is designed now to promote individual endeavors and accomplishments. The traditional nuclear family concept is fading. The paternal responsibility as the family religious head has eroded as one-parent households increase. 

The percentage of religiously unaffiliated Americans who say they no longer identify with their childhood religion due to clergy sexual abuse scandals rose by more than 10 percentage points, from 19% in 2016 to 31% in 2023. Former Catholics are more likely than former non-Catholics to say they no longer identify with their childhood religion because of sexual abuse scandals (45% vs. 24%).

Between 2016 and 2023, retention rates among the religiously unaffiliated increased 10 points from 66% in 2016 to 76% in 2023; very few Americans grow up without a religious identity and then join a religion later in life (3%). Just four in ten unaffiliated Americans describe themselves as spiritual. Across party lines, similar percentages of religiously unaffiliated Democrats (39%), independents (38%), and Republicans (35%) consider themselves to be spiritual.

Half of American churchgoers say they have received a definitive answer to a specific prayer (50%), nearly four in ten say the “Spirit” has empowered them or someone else to do a specific task (39%), three in ten say they have received a direct revelation from God (29%) or witnessed divine healing of an injury or illness (27%), and roughly two in ten have seen people speaking in tongues (21%) in the past year.

Among those who’ve left a religion, more than one-third say they were formerly Catholic. Participation in houses of worship continues to decline, according to the study. Twenty-eight percent of respondents said they “seldom” attend religious services, and 29% of respondents said they “never” attend religious services. A decade ago, those figures were 22% and 21%, respectively. Yet despite the downward trends in overall church attendance, studies show those still going are happy. Eight-two percent say they’re optimistic about the future of their church.

In our next post we’ll examine the New Age Spirituality.