Americans, along with every other country in the world, faced an unprecedented time during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With risk of infection, the U.S. Government limited in-person gatherings to reduce its spread. Nonetheless, as COVID-19 rates increased, the virus itself negatively impacted the lives of many. Similarly, there were correlations in Americans as well, but related to faith and religion.
It is usually during times of difficulty that people latch onto their religious affiliation and grow in fervency, seeking something greater than themselves to put their faith into. But the ability to gather in person was limited and even prohibited at least a year, and even extending to two.
Things have calmed down in terms of regulatory requirements restricting church and faith-related gatherings, but the question remains whether Americans grew used to that limitation, or if people are willing to gather in person once again.
In this article, we’ll discuss the state of religious affiliation in the United States, how frequently Americans attend religious services, and potential reasons for religion’s decline.
The State of Religious Affiliation
What does religious affiliation actually look like? The National Health Service of England defines it as “the self-identified association of a person with a religion, denomination or sub-denominational religious group, such as, the church an individual belongs to.”
This is not limited to a single religion, but is inclusive of all religions and every denomination within each religion.
Findings from a recent study published in January 2023 showed that faith and religious affiliation remained stable over the pandemic.
Twenty-five percent of US adults identified as unaffiliated Christians before the pandemic, and this amount remained the same in spring of 2022. White mainline and white evangelical Christians were at 17 percent and 14 percent of adults in the US before the pandemic, and in spring 2022, at 16 and 14 percent, respectively.
White Catholics and Black Protestants made up 10 percent and 9 percent of US adults, respectively, before the pandemic, which remained the same in spring 2022. Hispanic Catholics made up 6 percent of US adults before the pandemic, and 5 percent afterwards (in spring 2022). Latter-day Saints made up 2 percent of US adults before the pandemic, and 1 percent in spring 2022, and Jews remained the same with 1 percent before and after the pandemic.
Although the religious affiliation of US adults has not drastically changed before and after the pandemic, religious service attendance has.
Frequency of Religious Service Attendance
The pandemic prohibited gatherings of all kinds, including service attendance, which it seems that many US adults adjusted to.
The scale for measuring church attendance was broken down into regular attendance, occasional attendance, infrequent attendance, and never attending.
Before the pandemic, 26 percent of US adults attended religious service regularly, with a slight decrease to 24 percent after the pandemic. Occasional service attendance was at 10 percent pre-pandemic, down to 8 percent post-pandemic.
Infrequent service attendance went from 39 percent to 36 percent, and those who never attended increased from 25 percent to 33 percent after the pandemic.
Is overall faith declining in the United States?
Studies show that there has not been a significant change in religious affiliation before and after the pandemic. Nonetheless, there are theories as to why there could be less religious affiliation over time, as the numbers have declined over the years (even before the pandemic).
A study by the Pew Research Center showed that US adults who identified as Christian went down 12 percent between 2009 and 2019. Furthermore, adults who do not affiliate with any religion increased from 17 percent to 26 percent over the same period.
Although it would be difficult to attribute this decline to any one factor alone, there are multiple theories as to why faith could be declining in the United States.
4 Potential Reasons For Religious Decline in the US
There are several possible reasons that could contribute to the decline of faith in the United States. Four potential factors are described below.
1. The Rise of Science
Science itself is becoming more mainstream with popular names including Neil deGrasse Tyson, Stephen Hawking, and even the characters of the popular sitcom The Big Bang Theory.
Science is generally separate from religion, and many scientists question the accuracy of religious texts including the Holy Bible. It makes you wonder whether scientists have an accurate understanding of the Bible, however.
As science grows within American culture, it would not be surprising if religion decreased at a similar pace.
2. The Negative Impression of Religion Related to Politics
Many frown upon mixing politics and religion due to the separation of church and state. This is often due to religious leaders or politicians controlling policy with the influence of religion. Not only is this divisive, but many also exploit religion to gain followers, using religion as a vehicle for their own political goals.
Furthermore, certain religious beliefs related to social issues creates more division between those who agree and disagree with each view.
Historically, political leaders have also used religion to justify war, oppression, and discrimination.
It is important to note, however, that religion itself is not always negative, as it also can play a positive role in politics by promoting values of human rights, compassion, and equality.
3. People Move Towards Questioning Faith
Some can question their faith due to multiple factors including but not limited to:
- the lack of evidence one visually sees
- scientific beliefs that conflict with religion (creationism, evolution, etc.)
- personal experiences related to loss or trauma
- moral objectives
- events from the past
Each person’s journey is unique, however, which means the reason one questions could vary person to person.
Furthermore, questioning faith does not always lead to abandoning it, but can actually lead to a deeper understanding of their religious belief in the long run.
4. The Millennial Generation
Many millennial adults are less likely to affiliate with organized religion than older generations.
Generally, millennials view religion as less important in their lives than other values, such as individual freedom and personal autonomy.
Technology and media have exposed millennials to an abundance of information and alternative perspectives, which leads to more personal decisions regarding one’s faith.
Lastly, the corruption of religion has led many to lose trust in its credibility, ranging from hypocrisy inside the church to scandals associated with the Catholic Church and other religious institutions.
Nonetheless, some millennials have remained committed to their faith, and some practice alternative spiritual beliefs.
Expectations for the Future
While it is possible that religion will continue to decline in the future, the pace of decline will vary among religions and regions.
While it is incorrect to attribute the decline to one single factor, it could be affected by science, the mixing of religion and politics, questions regarding faith, or the exposure of the millennial generation.
Nonetheless, adults could turn to religion in times of uncertainty.
The future of religion will depend on a wide range of cultural, political, and economic factors, which are difficult to predict.