Gallup: Drop in U.S. Religiosity Among Largest in World

[essentialsaltes]

The 17-point drop in the percentage of U.S. adults who say religion is an important part of their daily life — from 66% in 2015 to 49% today — ranks among the largest Gallup has recorded in any country over any 10-year period since 2007.

About half of Americans now say religion is not an important part of their daily life. They remain as divided on the question today as they were last year.

As religiosity has declined in the U.S., the gap between the U.S. and the global median has widened. The global median for religiosity has remained stable for nearly two decades, averaging 81% since 2007 and reaching 83% last year, the most current full-year data available.

At the same time, attitudes in the U.S. are drawing closer to those in other advanced economies.

U.S. Now Occupies Unique Spot in Global Religiosity​

 

[Oompa Loompa]

The 17-point drop in the percentage of U.S. adults who say religion is an important part of their daily life — from 66% in 2015 to 49% today — ranks among the largest Gallup has recorded in any country over any 10-year period since 2007.

About half of Americans now say religion is not an important part of their daily life. They remain as divided on the question today as they were last year.

As religiosity has declined in the U.S., the gap between the U.S. and the global median has widened. The global median for religiosity has remained stable for nearly two decades, averaging 81% since 2007 and reaching 83% last year, the most current full-year data available.

At the same time, attitudes in the U.S. are drawing closer to those in other advanced economies.

U.S. Now Occupies Unique Spot in Global Religiosity​

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Yes. A lot of people call themselves "Christian" but do not think following Christ is important. That is not new. They believe in Jesus, but do not follow Jesus.

 

[DaisyDay]

I don't know what to make of that.

For the Christian nationalists, when it comes to immigration, old Europe is probably less religious than South Americans, but South/Central Americans are the wrong sort of people (or so I hear tell). Otoh, after WWII, an awful lot of old Europeans went to Argentina, so maybe if South Africa doesn't produce enough workers for us, we can get them from there? Just musing....

 

[RileyG]

Yes. A lot of people call themselves "Christian" but do not think following Christ is important. That is not new. They believe in Jesus, but do not follow Jesus.

As in so called Sunday Christians? Then yes, I can agree. I think it depends how sincere they are or not- only God knows.

 

[RileyG]

I don't know what to make of that.

For the Christian nationalists, when it comes to immigration, old Europe is probably less religious than South Americans, but South/Central Americans are the wrong sort of people (or so I hear tell). Otoh, after WWII, an awful lot of old Europeans went to Argentina, so maybe if South Africa doesn't produce enough workers for us, we can get them from there? Just musing....

Is that when Italians and Germans went to Argentina?

 

[DaisyDay]

Is that when Italians and Germans went to Argentina?

That was the last wave.

 

[Bradskii]

Yes. A lot of people call themselves "Christian" but do not think following Christ is important. That is not new. They believe in Jesus, but do not follow Jesus.

Having been a member of this forum for a number of years I can only agree with you. But the point is not that there are a lot of people like that, but that the number is increasimg.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

The polls have been trending in this direction for a while now.

However, the distinction that needs to be noted is that there is a subtle difference between this question and "are you religious?"

The polling has showed a drop in that latter question too, and that more people are becoming "unaffiliated" or fellow atheists, which would certainly explain some of the drop with regards to this question.


But the question of "how important is religion to you?" could still decline even in people who still are believers.


For that subset of people, I think the answer is pretty straightforward.

Religion and religiosity doesn't provide the same social and political currency it once did.

The aspects of life that people tend to prioritize are the aspects that get them the things they want (in terms of social fabric, social dynamics, and policy) and put them in "elevated standing" in a community.

There was a time when religiosity got that for conservatives, but somewhere along the way (probably around the late-2000's to the early-2010's), someone merely being "very religious" and constantly appealing to "religious principles" to justify policy just wasn't that effective anymore.

You can see that pattern play out in terms of candidate selection. In the 80's during the Jerry Falwell "Moral Majority" era, it worked like gangbusters. Even up through Bush 2, it still worked. By the time it got to McCain, no so well, and for Romney, even less.

Fast forward to present day, the people conservatives have been rallying behind aren't traditionally religious by any stretch of the imagination.


To put it more directly... why would someone prioritize religiosity after back to back losses at the ballot box with "religion-approved" candidates?, when the candidate that got them more of what they wanted was a "Casino owning, vodka brand creating, swimsuit pageant operating, greedy narcissistic real-estate developer, former New Yorker democrat who swears and cheats on his 4 wives"?


The Republican relationship with religiosity does have some parallels with the Democratic relationship with free speech.

There was a time when the Democrats were the die-hard free speech types... it worked for a period of time, once it stopped getting political wins, they put it on the backburner and started prioritizing other things.