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# Christianity's Decline in U.S. Shows Signs of Leveling Off, Major Study Finds
- URL: https://www.bibleanalysis.org/christianitys-decline-in-u-s-shows-signs-of-leveling-off-major-study-finds/
- Published: 2025-06-08T08:39:24.000Z
- Updated: 2025-06-08T08:39:24.000Z
- Description: The rise of religiously unaffiliated Americans — often called "nones" — has also plateaued. 29% of adults now identify as having no religion, up from 16% in 2007, but this figure has remained steady since around 2020.
- Author: Anurag Rao
- Tags: Christianity's Decline in U.S. Shows Signs of Leveling Off, Major Study Finds

A comprehensive study from the Pew Research Center suggests that Christianity's long decline in America may be slowing or even halting. The 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study, which surveyed nearly 37,000 adults, found that **62% of Americans identify as Christian** — a figure that has remained relatively stable since 2020.

This represents a significant shift from the dramatic declines seen between 2007 and 2014, when the Christian share of the population dropped from 78% to 71%.

## Young Adults Drive Stabilization

Surprisingly, **the youngest adults (ages 18-24) are no less religious than the second-youngest cohort** in several key measures. Americans born between 2000-2006 are just as likely as those born in the 1990s to identify as Christians, say religion is important, and attend services monthly.

This breaks a pattern where each successive generation had been markedly less religious than the previous one.

## Spiritual Beliefs Remain Strong

Despite lower church attendance and religious identification among younger Americans, **spiritual beliefs remain widespread** across all age groups:

- **86%** believe people have a soul or spirit beyond their physical body
- **83%** believe in God or a universal spirit
- **79%** believe in something spiritual beyond the natural world
- **70%** believe in an afterlife

The age gaps on spiritual questions are much smaller than on traditional religious measures like prayer frequency and church attendance.

## Religious "Nones" Growth Also Slows

The rise of religiously unaffiliated Americans — often called "nones" — has also plateaued. **29% of adults now identify as having no religion**, up from 16% in 2007, but this figure has remained steady since around 2020.

## Challenges Remain for Future

While the immediate trends show stabilization, researchers note significant long-term challenges. **Older, highly religious generations are being replaced by younger, less religious cohorts**. For lasting stability, young adults would need to become more religious as they age — something not observed in previous generations.

The study also found that **a religious upbringing is less "sticky" among today's young adults** than previous generations, with fewer maintaining high levels of religiosity into adulthood.

## Political and Regional Variations

The religious changes have been **much more pronounced among political liberals than conservatives**. Among self-described liberals, Christianity identification dropped 25 percentage points since 2007, while conservatives saw much smaller changes.