U.S. Public Becoming Both More and Less Religious, New Study Finds

The percentage of U.S. adults who believe in God has declined since 2007 from 92 percent to 89 percent, according to a new study.

A large-scale survey by the Pew Research Center-- the 2014 Religious Landscape study-- of 35,071 U.S. adults finds that the percentage of those who claim to believe in God, regularly attend religious services, and pray daily has shown to have decreased since the last Religious Landscape study was conducted in 2007.

In general, Americans have become less religious in the traditional ways religiosity is measured with less U.S. adults who say religion is important in their lives (53 percent from 56 percent in 2006). The percentage of Americans who say they are “absolutely certain” that God exists has dropped from 71% to 63% and less adults claim to attend religious services every week.

“But the Pew Research Center study also finds a great deal of stability in the U.S. religious landscape,” the report says.

Determining whether adults in America are actually becoming more or less religious must be interpreted depending on how religious observance is measured, it stated.

The modest drop in religiosity can be attributed to the increasing number of the ‘nones’-- a growing minority who do not identify with an organized faith-- which has increased from 16 percent to 23 percent in 2014. The study also found that even the non-religious have become increasingly secular. However, the study found that among Americans who are affiliated with a religion, there has been no significant drop in religious commitments.

“Indeed, by some conventional measures, religiously affiliated Americans are, on average, even more devout than they were a few years ago. The portion of religiously affiliated adults who say they regularly read scripture, share their faith with others and participate in small prayer groups or scripture study groups all have increased modestly since 2007,” the report found.

While religiosity among Americans has declined, the study suggests that Americans’ sense of spirituality has not. Six-in-ten (59 percent) Americans report feeling a deep sense of spiritual peace and well-being at least once a week and approximately half (46 percent) report feeling a sense of wonder about the universe.

A significant number of Americans express criticisms regarding American churches and religious organizations, while a vast majority perceive them in a surprisingly positive light.

Roughly half say religious institutions are too focused with money and power, too focused on rules, and too involved with politics.

On the other hand, nine-in-ten Americans report that U.S. religious institutions bring people together. Americans also see churches as protecting morality in society and playing an important role in helping the poor, 75 percent and 87 percent respectively.