Summary
A Gallup poll shows a 17% drop in the number of U.S. adults who consider religion important in their daily lives over the past decade, marking one of the biggest declines globally. This change reflects broader social shifts, with younger generations moving away from religious affiliations more than older ones.
Key Facts
- The percentage of U.S. adults who find religion important fell from 66% in 2015 to 49% in 2025.
- This decline is the largest recorded by Gallup in any country over a ten-year period since 2007.
- Globally, the median importance of religion has remained around 81%, while the U.S. has dropped.
- Only 14 out of 160 countries surveyed by Gallup had a similar decline of over 15%.
- Most religious "switching" in the U.S. results in people becoming unaffiliated rather than choosing a new faith.
- 83% of adults raised as Christians still identify as Christian, with lower retention rates than for other religions like Islam or Hinduism.
- Younger U.S. adults, especially those born after 1990, are more likely to have no religious affiliation.
- South Dakota is the only U.S. state not seeing a growth in the non-religious population.
