After years of steady decline, the religious makeup of the U.S. has seemingly leveled off.

A new Gallup report shows that the percentage of Americans’ identifying as Christian, unaffiliated or belonging to another tradition has remained largely unchanged over the last five years. It’s a noticeable shift from the early 2000s and 2010s, when religious affiliation in the U.S. was undergoing rapid change.

From 2000 to 2017, the share of Americans identifying as Protestant dropped from 57% to 46%, and Catholic affiliation fell from 25% to 21%. During that same period, the share of Americans with no religious affiliation jumped from 8% to 20%.

Over the last 8 years, however, Gallup’s data shows minimal change. As of 2024, 45% of Americans identify as Protestant, 21% as Catholic and 22% as religiously unaffiliated. Overall, 69% of Americans still identify as Christian—a figure slightly higher than Pew Research’s most recent finding of 62%.

But the generational divide remains clear. Gen Z is the least likely to identify as Christian, with only 54% claiming a Christian affiliation and 34% saying they have no religion. Millennials are close behind, with 58% identifying as Christian and 31% unaffiliated. Both groups remain significantly more religiously unaffiliated than Gen X and older generations.

While the numbers have held steady for now, Gallup notes that the long-term trajectory may still point downward. As older, more religious generations age out of the population, Christians will need to engage younger adults if the current share is to be maintained. Otherwise, the decline may resume in the years ahead.

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Title: New Gallup Poll Confirms That Christianity in the U.S. Is No Longer in Decline
URL: https://relevantmagazine.com/culture/new-gallup-poll-confirms-that-christianity-in-the-u-s-is-no-longer-in-decline/
Source: REL ::: RELEVANT
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Date: May 17, 2025 at 12:12AM
Feedly Board(s): Religion