Summary: The Pew Research Institute recently came out with an extensive study polling religious beliefs in America. America seems to be becoming less religious, especially millennials.
After a long day at work, it can be tempting for an overworked lawyer to pray to some higher power for relief. Maybe they’re asking for comfort, or more money, or even just health and happiness for the family they can feel they neglect with long work hours. But if you’re not the praying type, a new study by the Pew Research Institute suggests that, especially for millennials, you’re not alone.
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According to Pew’s 2014 Religious Landscape Study, released Tuesday, only 63% of Americans say they are sure God exists – down from 71% just 7 years earlier, in 2007. And the change is even more dramatic among young people. About half of millennials say that they are certain that God exists, as opposed to their grandparents, who believed in God at a rate of 71%.
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Additionally, the percentage of adults who consider themselves even “religiously affiliated” has also gone down dramatically, from 83% in 2007 to 77% today.
[poll id=”857″]The Pew Research Institute says these changes seems small, but are absolutely statistically significant, due to the relatively quick speed of the changes over the 7 years between studies and the large survey sample (35,000 people), meaning that the results are considered very reliable.
The most significant note that Pew made was that millennials are far less religious than older generations. Only about 40% of millennials say that religion is “important” in their lives. 23% of millennials identify as completely unaffiliated to any religion, as opposed to 16% in the 2007 study.
Many suggest that this change could be due to the changing demographics in the United States. Although Americans are becoming more liberal, churches have stayed more stagnant in their conservative beliefs. The divide is stark along party lines, with far more religious people in the Republican party and far more “unaffiliated” Americans voting Democrat.
So, if you’re too tired on weekend mornings to go to synagogue or church, or don’t say the prayers your grandparents encouraged before bedtime, or even think God is a silly fairy tale – you’re not alone. In fact, especially for millennials, a significant number of Americans are in the purely secular corner.
Source:
http://www.pewforum.org/2015/11/03/u-s-public-becoming-less-religious/
