The Most and Least Religious Americans

There are many ways to segment the American population—age, sex, race, education, and so on. Pew Research Center has come up with a new way—religious typology. By asking a nationally representative sample of Americans to answer a handful of questions about religious beliefs and practices, Pew has identified seven religious types in the United States that "cut across many denominations," "unite people of different faiths," or even "divide people who have the same religious affiliation." The most religious of the seven types are the Sunday Stalwarts. The least religious are the Solidly Seculars. Here are some of Pew's findings about these groups...

Sunday Stalwarts: The members of this group account for 17 percent of the adult population. They are actively involved in their religious organization. Most attend religious services at least weekly and pray daily. Sixty-two percent think it is necessary to believe in God to be moral and have good values. Most are women, white, and aged 50 or older. The 59 percent majority is Republican.

Solidly Secular: The members of this group also account for 17 percent of the adult population. They seldom or never attend religious services and nearly all (97 percent) say it is not necessary to believe in God to be moral. They do not describe themselves as religious, nor do they call themselves spiritual. Most are men, white, under age 50, and Democrats.

There are another five religious typologies between these two extremes: God-and-Country Believers, Diversely Devout, Relaxed Religious, Spiritually Awake, and Religion Resisters. Find out more about them by clicking the link below. Find out your type by taking the quiz here.

Source: Pew Research Center, The Religious Typology—A New Way to Categorize Americans by Religion