Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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5. Religious upbringing and childhood education
Compared with older U.S. adults, fewer young people say they were raised in a religion or received a lot of religious education
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- 5. Religious upbringing and childhood education
- Most Americans say they were raised in a religion, grew up going to religious services at least monthly
- 55% of Americans who grew up in families in which religion was very important say religion is very important in their own lives today
- 86% of Americans were raised in a religion
- Among Americans raised as Christians, 78% say they grew up going to church at least once a month
- 45% of Americans say religion was very important to their family growing up
- Most U.S. adults say they received at least some formal religious education as a kid
- 35% of U.S. adults received ‘a lot’ of formal religious education as children
- Compared with older U.S. adults, fewer young people say they were raised in a religion or received a lot of religious education
- People who went to religious services at least monthly growing up say they go more regularly now as adults than do people who went less often growing up
- Among U.S. adults who were raised Protestant or Catholic, those who grew up in religious homes are more likely to have retained their religious identity
- Among U.S. adults raised in families in which religion was very important, younger ones are less likely to say religion is very important to them now
- Among Americans raised as Protestants, young adults are less likely than older adults to identify as Protestant today; the same is true for Catholics
- Compared with older U.S. adults, fewer young people who grew up attending religious services monthly still attend monthly as adults