{"id":282641,"date":"2025-12-15T13:50:19","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T18:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?p=282641"},"modified":"2025-12-15T13:50:31","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T18:50:31","slug":"why-do-some-americans-leave-their-religion-while-others-stay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/12\/15\/why-do-some-americans-leave-their-religion-while-others-stay\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do Some Americans Leave Their Religion While Others Stay?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Study shows most Americans who leave their childhood religion do so by age 30<\/h2>\n\n\n
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(Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
About this research<\/summary>\n

This Pew Research Center report examines religious switching in the United States, including the reasons people give for staying in or leaving their childhood religion. It also looks at social and demographic factors associated with switching, such as age and political party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did we do this?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Center conducts high-quality research to inform the public, journalists and leaders. Studying Americans\u2019 religious identities is a key part of the Center\u2019s long-standing research agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about Pew Research Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did we do this?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This report includes findings from a survey of 8,937 U.S. adults who are part of the Center\u2019s American Trends Panel<\/a> (ATP). The survey was conducted from May 5 to 11, 2025. The survey\u2019s overall margin of error is plus or minus 1.4 percentage points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the questions<\/a> from that survey that we used for this report, the topline<\/a> and the survey methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This report also includes findings from the Center\u2019s 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study<\/a> (RLS), a survey of 36,908 U.S. adults. It was conducted from July 17, 2023, to March 4, 2024, and has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 0.8 percentage points. The RLS was made possible by The Pew Charitable Trusts, which received support from the Lilly Endowment Inc., Templeton Religion Trust, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations and the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is the full list of questions<\/a> from the RLS, the topline<\/a> and the survey methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

Many U.S. adults (35%) have moved on from the religion of their youth. Yet most Americans have not, including a majority \u2013 56% \u2013 who still identify with their childhood religion. Another 9% weren\u2019t raised in a religion and still don\u2019t have one today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chart<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This Pew Research Center report looks at the choices behind these decisions: why some people continue to identify with their childhood religion, why others have decided to leave it, and why others don\u2019t identify with any religion at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings about how many people switch religions come from our U.S. Religious Landscape Study (RLS) conducted in 2023-24. But to dig deeper into the reasons people give for switching or staying, we conducted a follow-up survey in May 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The follow-up survey shows that most U.S. adults who still identify with their childhood religion credit the following as extremely<\/em> or very<\/em> important<\/em> reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n