Religious Trends

Why the Secularization Hypothesis Is Fundamentally Flawed

“This article compares church membership data for the 1998-2000 and 2016-2018 periods, using combined data from multiple years to facilitate subgroup analysis. On average, 69% of U.S. adults were members of a church in 1998-2000, compared with 52% in 2016-2018.” - Gallup

“[S]ecularization theory … posits that as societies become more economically prosperous and obtain higher levels of education, the inevitable result is a movement away from organized religion and toward secularization.” - CToday

“The analysis of the General Social Survey from Ryan Burge, a political scientist at Eastern Illinois University and a Baptist pastor, found that 23.1 percent of Americans claim no religious affiliation.” - Christian Headlines

“Evangelicals and Catholics remain slightly less than a quarter of the American population, and now so are the religiously unaffiliated, according to the latest release of the General Social Survey (GSS).” - Facts & Trends

“The increased reliance on web-based research for public opinion surveys is raising questions about the relevance of long-accepted political and social trends documented in decades of telephone polling. … prominently and consistently reported declines in belief and church attendance may be less dramatic than reported over the past two or three decades.” - BNGlobal

“With more people leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than in past generations, it seems everyone has an explanation for why this is happening.” - RNS

39 % say see themselves as devout Christians with strong faith in God. 27% see themselves as Christian, but not particularly devout. 14% affirm belief in God but are uncertain of Christianity. 11% consider themselves spiritual, but not religious. - BP News

“In the U.S. and other countries, participation in a congregation is a key factor” - Pew Research

“The combination of ignorance, fear, and hatred wielded against conservative Christians in progressive quarters is disturbing.” - David French