Religious Change in America: PRRI survey results

essentialsaltes · Mar 28, 2024

Executive Summary

This report examines how well major faith traditions retain their members, the reasons people disaffiliate, and the reasons people attend religious services. Additionally, this report considers how atheists and agnostics differ from those who say they are “nothing in particular.” Finally, it analyzes the prevalence of charismatic elements as well as prophecy and prosperity theology in American churches and the role of charismatic Christianity in today’s Republican Party.

“Unaffiliated” is the only major religious category experiencing growth.

Around one-quarter of Americans (26%) identify as religiously unaffiliated in 2023, a 5 percentage point increase from 21% in 2013.
While the percentage of Americans who describe themselves as “nothing in particular” is similar to a decade ago (16% in 2013 to 17% in 2023), the numbers of both atheists and agnostics have doubled since 2013 (from 2% to 4% and from 2% to 5%, respectively).

Catholic loss continues to be highest among major religious groups; white Evangelical retention rate has improved since 2016.

While most disaffiliate because they stop believing, religious teachings on the LGBTQ community and clergy sexual abuse now play a more prominent role.

Most unaffiliated Americans are not looking for a religious or spiritual home.

Exploring the prevalence of charismatic elements in American churches.

Half of American churchgoers say they have received a definitive answer to a specific prayer (50%), nearly four in ten say the “Spirit” has empowered them or someone else to do a specific task (39%), three in ten say they have received a direct revelation from God (29%) or witnessed divine healing of an injury or illness (27%), and roughly two in ten have seen people speaking in tongues (21%) in the past year.
- Republican Christian nationalists are significantly more likely than non-Christian nationalist Republicans to have witnessed or experienced at least three charismatic events in the past year.

WaPo also has interesting graphs. I liked this one showing that white evangelical Protestants are currently holding steady, with about as many joining as leaving.

durangodawood · Mar 28, 2024

Republican Christian nationalists are significantly more likely than non-Christian nationalist Republicans to have witnessed or experienced at least three charismatic events in the past year.

Well yeah. Of course Christians will report more charismatic events than non Christians.

(Charismatic meaning originating from the Holy Spirit - and not just an encounter with a charming person, right?

essentialsaltes · Mar 28, 2024

durangodawood said:
Well yeah. Of course Christians will report more charismatic events that non Christians.

(Charismatic meaning originating from the Holy Spirit - and not just an encounter with a charming person, right?

I think it should be read "non-[Christian nationalist]"

Yttrium · Mar 28, 2024

The funny thing is that if Christianity didn't have a faith requirement, I might still consider myself Christian. But once I figure out the faith requirement way back when I was a teenager, I realized I was disqualified from being Christian, which forced me to examine the religion more carefully, and I moved solidly to the non-religious category. I wouldn't really be able to answer that poll, since I didn't have any beliefs in the first place.

RestoreTheJoy · Mar 28, 2024

durangodawood said:
Well yeah. Of course Christians will report more charismatic events than non Christians.

(Charismatic meaning originating from the Holy Spirit - and not just an encounter with a charming person, right?

Well...yeah. Nonbelievers cannot detect anything spiritual.

This post is equivalent to arguing that blind people didn't see as many trees this year as sighted people.

BCP1928 · Mar 28, 2024

Yttrium said:
The funny thing is that if Christianity didn't have a faith requirement, I might still consider myself Christian. But once I figure out the faith requirement way back when I was a teenager, I realized I was disqualified from being Christian, which forced me to examine the religion more carefully, and I moved solidly to the non-religious category. I wouldn't really be able to answer that poll, since I didn't have any beliefs in the first place.

The faith I can keep; it's the religion I have no use for.

Bradskii · Mar 28, 2024

BCP1928 said:
The faith I can keep; it's the religion I have no use for.

'I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ'. Gandhi.

durangodawood · Mar 28, 2024

RestoreTheJoy said:
Well...yeah. Nonbelievers cannot detect anything spiritual.

This post is equivalent to arguing that blind people didn't see as many trees this year as sighted people.

I dont believe that about non believers.

A blind person can still bump into a tree.

Bradskii · Mar 28, 2024

durangodawood said:
I dont believe that about non believers.

A blind person can still bump into a tree.

I feel like Jules trying to work out who the righteous man, the shepherd and Mr. Nine millimeter actually are...

We'd be the sighted. And the blind are those who are religious who think that there are trees. Which represent the supernatural.

'I feel the trees. I hear the trees. I know the trees are there!'

public hermit · Mar 28, 2024

RestoreTheJoy said:
Well...yeah. Nonbelievers cannot detect anything spiritual

How does one show that believers do detect spiritual things? I would say their love for others is about the only recourse Christians have as evidence for the faith. The rest are metaphysical claims coupled with claims regarding a historical person, Jesus, both of which are often easily doubted.

What is striking is not those who quit believing but those who left because of the way people are being treated. A religion of love is unloving? To conclude it is false just seems to follow. I expect more of the same on both counts.

Akita Suggagaki · Mar 28, 2024

I cannot help but wonder if the shift away from humanities toward STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) has much to do with it all.
Do people simply think less about their existence? It's meaning and purpose? Are they less reflective? Less self aware?

Tinker Grey · Mar 28, 2024

Akita Suggagaki said:
I cannot help but wonder if the shift away from humanities toward STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) has much to do with it all.
Do people simply think less about their existence? It's meaning and purpose? Are they less reflective? Less self aware?

No.

Akita Suggagaki · Mar 28, 2024

Tinker Grey said:
No.

I am glad you thought about it.

stevil · Mar 28, 2024

Akita Suggagaki said:
I cannot help but wonder if the shift away from humanities toward STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) has much to do with it all.
Do people simply think less about their existence? It's meaning and purpose? Are they less reflective? Less self aware?

I think as people are educated better they understand volcanoes erupting doesn't mean the gods are angry. They understand life came about and proliferated via evolution. They understand the earth revolves around the sun and the sun is one of billions in the milkyway and the milkyway is one of trillions in the universe.

With regards to meaning and purpose people learn it is upto them to find and choose meaning and purpose for themselves

Occams Barber · Mar 28, 2024

Akita Suggagaki said:
Do people simply think less about their existence? It's meaning and purpose? Are they less reflective? Less self aware?

Around 60 years ago, as a teenager, I had one of those great "Aha!" moments. I had never seen any reason to believe in a God however I was stuck on the question of the meaning/purpose of life.

In a flash of insight, it occurred to me that the problem didn't lie in the answer to the question. It lies in the question itself.

The question "What is the meaning (or purpose) of life" has an inbuilt unjustified assumption. It assumes that there is an overarching meaning/purpose to life. While we may ascribe purpose to our daily activities or our short- or longer-term objectives there is no reason to assume an overall purpose to life itself.

OB

Akita Suggagaki · Mar 28, 2024

"The cross-temporal meta-analysis included 70 studies with nearly 17,000 participants. Three facets of emotional intelligence declined over time: well-being, self-control, and emotionality. Access to technology was associated with decreased well-being and self-control."

Why Emotional Intelligence Is in Decline

Less in-person interaction, lower societal empathy, and more.

www.psychologytoday.com

Previous research on generational changes in personality has shown that both extraversion and neuroticism increased in American college students over a 40-year period. Other studies have found that self-esteem, assertiveness, narcissism, and high expectations have increased in recent decades. Researchers typically attribute these changes to Western society becoming increasingly individualistic – that is, a society that increasingly values materialism and competition. Perhaps it’s not surprising that when the values of society change, people’s personalities also change.

The decline of emotional intelligence - Work Life by Atlassian

See how emotional intelligence has declined in the past couple of decades and how to mitigate the effects at work and in our personal lives.

www.atlassian.com

Akita Suggagaki · Mar 28, 2024

According to the results of this study, there is a direct correlation between positive religious coping and emotional intelligence. So Strengthening religious coping can promote emotional intelligence that is one component of mental health.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE WITH RELIGIOUS COPING AND GENERAL HEALTH OF STUDENTS

This research organized to determine the relationship between Emotional Intelligence (EI) with Religious Coping and Mental Health of students at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences.This descriptive and analytical study was conducted in 2014 on 335 ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

durangodawood · Mar 28, 2024

Bradskii said:
I feel like Jules trying to work out who the righteous man, the shepherd and Mr. Nine millimeter actually are...

We'd be the sighted. And the blind are those who are religious who think that there are trees. Which represent the supernatural.

'I feel the trees. I hear the trees. I know the trees are there!'

Yeah Im agnostic about a spiritual reality other than the one that naturally emerges from being fully human. Perhaps belief helps some people attain that state of being.

Not sure who those characters are.

Bradskii · Mar 28, 2024

durangodawood said:
Not sure who those characters are.

What? Never watched Pulp Fiction? I'd link to a Youtube clip but hey, it's got Samuel L Jackson in it (as Jules) so every sentence of his has at least one reference to someone's mother. House rules and all...

ThatRobGuy · Mar 29, 2024

Republican Christian nationalists are significantly more likely than non-Christian nationalist Republicans to have witnessed or experienced at least three charismatic events in the past year.

durangodawood said:
Well yeah. Of course Christians will report more charismatic events than non Christians.

(Charismatic meaning originating from the Holy Spirit - and not just an encounter with a charming person, right?

I'm assuming this can be largely attributed to both the geographic breakdown and how it relates to the denomination demographics of said regions.

If you look at the charismatic denominations (the ones who have the practice of "speaking in tongues" on a near weekly basis -- which is considered a charismatic event), those particular denominations (like Pentecostal) seem to have a large presence (both in sheer numbers as well per capita) in states like Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Oklahoma... which also happen to be some of the most right-wing states.

Religious Change in America: PRRI survey results

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