{"id":12389,"date":"2026-01-29T09:49:49","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T14:49:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/%year%\/%monthnum%\/%day%\/if-the-u-s-had-100-people-charting-americans-religious-beliefs-and-practices\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T15:27:58","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T19:27:58","slug":"if-the-us-had-100-people-charting-americans-religious-beliefs-and-practices","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/01\/29\/if-the-us-had-100-people-charting-americans-religious-beliefs-and-practices\/","title":{"rendered":"If the U.S. had 100 people: Charting Americans\u2019 religious beliefs and practices"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As of 2023, about 218 million of the 262 million adults in the United States said they believe in God or a universal spirit. Large numbers like these can be difficult to picture, but what if we scaled down the numbers by imagining a town of 100 people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We previously did this to show Americans\u2019 religious affiliations<\/a>, using data from Pew Research Center\u2019s 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study<\/a>. In this analysis, we look at Americans\u2019 religious beliefs and practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About this research<\/summary>\n

This Pew Research Center analysis looks at the religious beliefs and practices of U.S. adults, using a hypothetical population of 100 people to make the numbers easier to understand and visualize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did we do this?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Pew Research Center conducts high-quality research to inform the public, journalists and leaders. Studying religion in the United States is a key part of the Center\u2019s long-standing research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

How did we do this?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This analysis includes findings from 36,908 U.S. adults who participated in the Center\u2019s 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study<\/a>. The survey was conducted from July 17, 2023, to March 4, 2024. The survey\u2019s overall margin of error is plus or minus 0.8 percentage points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the questions<\/a> used for this analysis, the topline<\/a> and the survey methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

Religious service attendance<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If the U.S. was a town of 100 people, 25 of them would attend religious services in person weekly or more often. Another eight would go once or twice a month, and 18 would go a few times a year. Forty-nine people would seldom or never attend religious services in person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Belief in God<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Among the 100 people, 83 would believe in God or a universal spirit. Of these:<\/p>\n\n\n\n