A new study from Pew Research Center revealed that the number of Christians in the U.S. seems to be leveling off for the first time in years after dropping dramatically for over a decade, with the study’s authors concluding that a majority of Americans still identify as Christians — although far fewer than in the late 2000s.
For context, the Pew Research Center report, which was published on February 26, 2025, provided hope for American Christians by showing that the long decline of the number of believers in the U.S. appears to be slowing down, and may be in the process of leveling out. In addition, the study’s authors confirmed that the overwhelming majority of Americans still believe in God, and that over 80% of American conservatives identify as Christian.
According to the report, the number of Christians in the U.S. has been subject to “decades of steep erosion,” with a reported 62% of Americans now identifying as Christians compared to 78% in 2007. However, the report clarifies that of all of the self-identified Christians in the U.S., “40% are Protestant, 19% are Catholic, and 3% are other Christians.”
In addition, the study’s findings show that 29% of Americans are now “religiously unaffiliated,” with the authors explaining that “5% are atheist, 6% are agnostic, and 19% identify religiously as ‘nothing in particular.'” The study also found that 7% of Americans identify with other religions: 2% are Jewish, and 1% each are Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu.”
However, while the number of Christians in the U.S. has dropped dramatically since 2007, the authors of the study were adamant that the overwhelming majority of Americans still have “a spiritual, supernatural outlook.” The authors added that “86% believe people have a soul or spirit in addition to their physical body” and “83% believe in God or a universal spirit.”
As for the political views of America’s Christians, the study concluded that “Generally speaking, Americans who are highly religious are the most solidly Republican constituency.” In addition, the authors clarified that “U.S. adults with lower levels of religious engagement more commonly identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party.”
Furthermore, the study revealed that 55% of all Christians identify as Republicans, while 40% identify as Democrats, with the remaining 8% reporting “no lean.” In addition, the authors found that “Among highly religious White Americans, a solid majority identify with the Republican Party or lean Republican (77%).” In contrast, they added, “Among White Americans with low levels of religious engagement, a sizable majority identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party (68%).”
Sadly, the authors of the study concluded by speculating that we may continue to see a decline in Christianity in the future due to the fact that “young adults are far less religious than older adults” in the U.S. The authors added that “35% of U.S. adults have switched religions since childhood, leading to net gains for the unaffiliated population and net losses for the Christian population.”
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