United States: The Decline of Christianity Stabilizes

The PRC study is entitled, “Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed, May Have Leveled Off.” Findings from the 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study (RLS), notes that, in 2023-2024, only 62% of American adults identify as Christian, a 16-point drop from 2007 (78%). This decline accelerated between 2007 and 2014, falling from 78% to 71%, before slowing over the past five years, fluctuating between 60% and 64%.

Among Christians, Protestants—thanks to the rise of the so-called "evangelical" movement—represent 40% of the adult population; Catholics 19%; and other Christian denominations, such as Orthodox or Mormons, approximately 3% (though including Mormons in this calculation is debatable). It should be noted that this decline, while significant, marks a pause in the continuous downward trend observed previously.

Furthermore, the proportion of Americans declaring themselves "religiously unaffiliated" reached 29%, up from 16% in 2007 and 23% in 2014. However, this growth has also stabilized in recent years, suggesting a possible plateauing of secularization: and this may be where we can see the glass half full.

According to the PRC, the generational factor is one of the keys to understanding this evolution. Older generations, predominantly Christian and religious, are gradually giving way to younger cohorts, who are significantly less attached to religion. For example, 46% of adults aged 18 to 24 identify as Christian, compared to 80% of those over 74.

Young people are more likely to be religiously unaffiliated (43% versus 13% among seniors) and less likely to pray daily (27% versus 58%) or attend religious services regularly (25% versus 49%). The individualism exacerbated by decades of liberalism seems to be bearing fruits, and they're not exactly edible.

This generational divide may, on the one hand, portend a potential resumption of decline as current generations age. On the other hand, the situation could reverse if young adults become more religious with age and new generations rediscover their Christian roots. For this to happen, the Catholic Church will have to turn the page on the irenicism stemming from Vatican II.

The study highlights changes in the ethnic composition of Christians. In 2007, 70% were non-Hispanic White, a proportion expected to fall to 60% by 2023-2024. On the other hand, the Latino proportion increased from 13% to 18%, particularly among Catholics (29% to 36%). African Americans, for their part, maintain a stable presence among Christians.

Furthermore, non-Christian religions, although a minority—7% of the population—are growing slightly, from 5% in 2007 to 7% today, driven in particular by the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu communities.

The PRC study notes a persistent correlation between religiosity and political orientation. The more religious beliefs Americans have, the more likely they are to align with the Republican Party and express conservative opinions on issues such as abortion, homosexuality, and immigration. This demonstrates how, for the Democratic Party, becoming the main vehicle for the woke revolution was a major political error.

While the decline of Christianity appears to have leveled off, nothing is definitively written for the future. Some experts, however, suggest that the majority of Americans likely to leave religion have already done so, which could indicate a natural threshold of non-religiosity. In any case, the PRC study validates the opinion of political scientist Ryan Burge, who stated in an article in the Salt Lake Tribune: "We are entering a new era in the American religious landscape."

It is up to the Catholic Church to be proactive in reshaping this landscape by further rediscovering its faith and tradition, and anchoring itself to them. And while those who suggest that Europe is five to ten years behind its American cousins when it comes to religious trends, this could be a cause for hope in Europe in the event of a genuine revival in the United States.