But recent data tell a very different—and largely overlooked—story.
According to a new study by Pew Research Center, the long slide of religious decline in the United States has leveled off.
Large majorities of Americans continue to view the world through a spiritual or supernatural lens.
Since around 2020, key indicators of religious belief and practice signal that faith in America has entered an unexpected period of stability.
Over the past five years, the proportion of Americans who identify as followers of Christianity or other faiths has remained remarkably consistent. Measures of religious practice and personal belief show the same pattern.
This is notable because, for much of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, nearly every measure of religious belonging, belief and behavior declined nationwide. The prevailing assumption shared by media, scholars and talking heads therefore was that America’s spiritual erosion would continue indefinitely.
It didn’t.
Since 2021, roughly the same share of Americans—about 44 to 46 percent—have said they pray daily. The percentage of those who attend monthly religious services has hovered in the low 30s since 2020, refusing to budge. And while Christianity’s share of the population has stabilized, religious diversity continues to grow: Americans identifying with non-Christian religions like Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism now make up more than 7 percent of the population, up from less than 5 percent in 2007.
Perhaps most telling is what lies beneath the demographics and attendance figures: Large majorities of Americans continue to view the world through a spiritual or supernatural lens. Most believe there is a soul or spirit beyond the physical body. Most believe in God or a universal spirit. Nearly four in five say there is something spiritual beyond the natural world, and a strong majority believe in an afterlife.
In short, despite persistent claims that America is becoming irreligious, belief itself remains deeply rooted and far more resilient than the conventional narratives suggest.
Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote: “Religion is the first sense of community. Your sense of community occurs by reason of mutual experience with others. Where the religious sense of community and with it real trust and integrity can be destroyed then that society is like a sand castle unable to defend itself against the inexorable sea.”
Faith in America is enjoying a season of stability. But nothing in this world stays the same for very long.
It either goes up or goes down.
Where we go from here will depend on the strength of our shared values and our willingness to live them out together.
Without these, the sand castle won’t withstand the tide.
