59% Know Someone Who Had an Abortion

Most Americans personally know someone who has had an abortion, according to a Pew Research Center survey fielded in March—prior to the leaking of the Supreme Court's draft opinion in a case challenging Roe v. Wade. "Personally know" is defined as a close friend, family member, or themselves.

There are surprisingly few differences by demographic characteristic in the share of Americans who personally know someone who has had an abortion. At least 50 percent of every demographic segment—with the exception of the youngest adults—personally know someone who has had an abortion. 

Personally know someone who has had an abortion

Total 18-plus: 59%

Aged 18 to 29: 46%

Aged 30 to 49: 60%

Aged 50 to 64: 65%

Aged 65-plus: 60%

Blacks: 67%

Hispanics: 50%

Whites: 61%

Democrats: 62%

Republicans: 57%

Catholics: 55%

Protestants: 61%

White evangelicals: 58%

No religion: 61%

Women (66 percent) are much more likely than men (51 percent) to personally know someone who has had an abortion. This pattern holds true in every demographic segment. 

Source: Pew Research Center, America's Abortion Quandary

73% of Americans Believe in Heaven

The great majority of Americans aged 18 or older believe in heaven, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. A smaller 62 percent believe in hell. While there are some differences by age in these beliefs, the majority of every age group believes in heaven and hell...

Percent who believe in heaven (and hell)

Total 18-plus: 73% (62%)

Aged 18 to 29: 63% (55%)

Aged 30 to 49: 69% (59%)

Aged 50 to 64: 81% (70%)

Aged 65-plus: 79% (62%)

Among those who believe in heaven, 65 percent think people in heaven "are reunited with loved ones who died previously." Only 48 percent think they "are reunited with pets or animals they knew on Earth."

Source: Pew Research Center, Few Americans Blame God or Say Faith Has Been Shaken Amid Pandemic, Other Tragedies

Does Intelligent Life Exist on Other Planets?

The 65 percent majority of Americans aged 18 or older say "their best guess is that intelligent life does exist on other planets," according to a Pew Research Center survey. But opinions differ by religious affiliation and practice. Only 40 percent of white evangelicals think intelligent life on other planets is likely versus 85 percent of atheists. Here are the percentages by frequency of prayer...

Percent who say their best guess is that intelligent life DOES exist on other planets

54% of those who pray daily

64% of those who pray weekly

72% of those who pray a few times a month

80% of those who pray seldom or never

Source: Pew Research Center, Religious Americans Less Likely to Believe Intelligent Life Exists on Other Planets

Religious Identity in 2020

Nearly one in four American adults reports being religiously unaffiliated, according to PRRI's 2020 Census of American Religion. The 23 percent who say they are religiously unaffiliated is below the peak of 26 percent recorded in 2018. Nevertheless, the religiously unaffiliated group is larger than any single religious affiliation. 

Percent of Americans aged 18 or older who identify with religious group, 2020

23% religiously unaffiliated

16% white mainline Protestant

14% white evangelical Protestant

12% white Catholic

  8% Hispanic Catholic

  7% Black Protestant

  4% Hispanic Protestant

  2% other Catholic of color

  1% Jewish

  1% Latter-day Saint (Mormon) 

  1% Muslim

  1% Buddhist

  0.5% Hindu

  0.2% Unitarian

The PRRI survey notes a "precipitous drop" in white evangelical Protestant affiliation over the years—from 23 percent of adults in 2006 to just 14 percent in 2020. White mainline Protestants now outnumber white evangelical Protestants.

Source: PRRI, The 2020 Census of American Religion

75% of White Evangelicals Favor the Death Penalty

Support for the death penalty varies by religious affiliation, according to a Pew Research Center survey. Overall, 60 percent of Americans aged 18 or older support the death penalty for people convicted of murder. Only 35 percent of those who identify themselves as atheists support the death penalty—the lowest level of support by religious affiliation. The highest level of support is among white evangelical Protestants, 75 percent of whom support the death penalty.

Percent who favor the death penalty for people convicted of murder

75% of white Evangelical Protestants

73% of white Protestants, not evangelical

61% of Hispanic Catholics

56% of white Catholics

50% of Black Protestants

43% of Agnostics

35% of Atheists

Source: Pew Research Center, Unlike Other U.S. Religious Groups, Most Atheists and Agnostics Oppose the Death Penalty

QAnon Tenets Believed by 15-20% of Americans

An alarmingly large share of the public believes in each of the three tenets of the QAnon conspiracy theory, according to a PRRI survey...

1. Fifteen percent of Americans believe "the government, media, and financial worlds in the U.S. are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex trafficking operation." Among Republicans, 23 percent believe this to be true.
2. Fifteen percent of Americans agree with the statement, "because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country." Among Republicans, the figure is 28 percent.
3. Twenty percent of Americans believe "there is a storm coming soon that will sweep away the elites in power and restore the rightful leaders." Among Republicans, 28 percent are believers.

Perhaps most worrisome is the belief that violence may be necessary. Fully 42 of those who watch far-right news sources believe true American patriots may have to resort to violence to save our country. Among Fox News viewers, the figure is 27 percent. Among white evangelical protestants, 24 percent. 

Source: PRRI, Understanding QAnon's Connection to American Politics, Religion, and Media Consumption

Membership in Religious Congregations Falls below 50%

The percentage of Americans who belong to a religious congregation fell below 50 percent in 2020, according to a Gallup survey. This is the first time the figure has fallen below 50 percent since Gallup started asking the question in 1937. In 2020, only 47 percent of Americans aged 18 or older answered "yes" when asked, "Do you happen to be a member of a church, synagogue or mosque?"

Membership in religious congregations peaked in the years following World War II, when 76 percent of Americans aged 18 or older were members. The figure remained near the 70 percent level until the 2000s when it began a steady decline. 

Gallup notes that the decline "appears largely tied to population change, with those in older generations who were likely to be church members being replaced in the U.S. adult population with people in younger generations who are less likely to belong." Gallup has aggregated three of the most recent years of data to show membership by generation...

Member of a church, synagogue, or mosque, 2018–20 

Millennials: 36% 

Gen Gers: 50% 

Boomers: 58%

Older Americans: 66% 

Source: Gallup, U.S. Church Membership Falls below Majority for First Time

God's Hand in the Election?

Was Trump chosen by God to be the president? Yes, it's a strange question, but former energy secretary Rick Perry and religious leader Franklin Graham, among others, have said Trump is president because he was chosen by God. Pew Research Center decided to find out how many Americans agreed.

Here's the question asked by Pew: "What comes closest to your views about God's role in recent presidential elections?" This is what a nationally representative sample of the public said about the 2016 election...

  5%: God chose Trump to become president because God approves of Trump's policies
27%: Trump's election is part of God's plan but God doesn't necessarily approve of his policies
49%: God doesn't get involved in U.S. presidential elections
16%: Don't believe in God

Overall, about one-third (32 percent) see the election of Trump as part of God's plan, whether or not God approves of Trump's policies. Interestingly, when asked about the 2008 and 2012 elections, the public responds almost identically. Thirty-two percent say Obama's election was God's plan, with 3 percent saying it was because God approved of Obama's policies and 29 percent saying it was God's plan regardless of Obama's policies.

Source: Pew Research Center, About a Third in U.S. See God's Hand in Presidential Elections, but Fewer Say God Picks Winners Based on Policies

Only 50% of Americans Belong to a Church

Only half of Americans aged 18 or older belong to a church, synagogue, or mosque, according to Gallup survey. The 50 percent of 2018 is a record low and down from 70 percent in 1999. Behind the decline, says Gallup, is the growing share of the population without a religious preference. That share climbed from 8 to 19 percent in the past two decades. Not only is church membership declining in successively younger generations, but it is also falling over time within generations...

Church membership in 2016–2018 (and 1998–2000)
Millennials: 42% (NA)
Gen Xers: 54% (62%)
Boomers: 57% (67%)
Older Americans: 68% (77%)

In 2016–2018, church membership was lowest among men (47 percent), people under age 30 (41 percent), Hispanics (45 percent), people in the West (43 percent), and liberals (37 percent). Church membership was highest among people aged 65 or older (64 percent), non-Hispanic Blacks (65 percent), people in the South (58 percent), Republicans (69 percent), and conservatives (67 percent).

Source: Gallup, U.S. Church Membership Down Sharply in Past Two Decades

"No Religious Preference" Now and in Childhood

Only 9 percent of Americans were raised without a religious preference, according to the General Social Survey. But a substantial 22 percent now say they have no religious preference. In each generation, the percentage who currently have no religious preference is at least twice as large as the percentage who were raised without a religious preference...

Percent with no religious preference today (and in childhood)
iGeneration: 28% (11%)
Millennials: 32% (13%)
Gen Xers: 21% (10%)
Boomers: 15% (5%)
Older: 11% (3%)

Note: In 2016 the iGeneration was 18 to 21, Millennials were 22 to 39, Gen Xers were 40 to 51; Baby Boomers were 52 to 70, and older Americans were 71 or older.

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the 2016 General Social Survey

Many Americans Believe in Reincarnation

One in three adults (33 percent) believes in reincarnation, according to a Pew Research Center survey. Even among those who profess to be neither religious nor spiritual, a substantial 22 percent believe in it.

Women (39 percent) are more likely than men (27 percent) to believe in reincarnation. Blacks (43 percent) and Hispanics (37 percent) are more likely to believe than non-Hispanic Whites (29 percent). By education, college graduates are least likely to believe (24 percent) while those with no more than a high school diploma are most likely (39 percent). Here is the percentage who believe in reincarnation by age...

Believe in reincarnation
Aged 18 to 29: 39%
Aged 30 to 49: 34%
Aged 50 to 64: 34%
Aged 65-plus: 22%

Source: Pew Research Center: 'New Age' Beliefs Common among both Religious and Nonreligious Americans

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

55% in U.S. Pray Every Day

The United States is an outlier when it comes to prayer, according to Pew Research Center. It is the only wealthy country in the world in which the majority of the population prays daily. Here are some comparisons with other countries...

Percentage of adults who pray daily, for selected countries
United States: 55%
Mexico: 40%
Canada: 25%
Italy: 21%
Australia: 18%
Russia: 18%
Sweden: 11%
France: 10%
Germany: 9%
United Kingdom: 6%

The percentage of adults who pray every day is highest in Afghanistan (96 percent) and lowest in China (1 percent). Of 102 countries examined by Pew, the average is 49 percent. Sociologists theorize that countries with high levels of income inequality often have high levels of religiosity, reports Pew.

Source: Pew Research Center, The Age Gap in Religion Around the World and American Are Far More Religious than Adults in Other Wealthy Nations

Boomer Religious Beliefs Stable Over Decades

Are Boomers becoming more religious with age? Not according to the General Social Survey, which has been tracking the attitudes of Americans since 1972. The religious beliefs of Boomers have changed surprisingly little over the decades.

Religious preference: When Boomers were young in 1976, the oldest among them filling the 18-to-30 age group, the 54 percent majority named Protestant as their religious preference. Only 13 percent said they had no religious preference. Now that Boomers are getting long in the tooth (aged 52 to 70 in 2016), 56 percent name Protestant as their religious preference and 15 percent say "none." The differences between then and now are not statistically significant. 

Religiosity: The percentage of Boomers who identify themselves as "very" or "moderately" religious stood at 64 percent in 2016 (at ages 52 to 70). The figure was 62 percent in 1998 (at ages 34 to 52), the first year the question appeared on the survey. The percentage identifying themselves as "not religious" was 13 percent in 1998 and 17 percent in 2016. The differences between then and now are not statistically significant. 

Belief in God: In 2016, the 62 percent majority of Boomers (at ages 52 to 70) agreed with the statement, "I know God really exists and I have no doubts about it." This figure was as high as 66 percent in 2006 (at ages 42 to 60). It was as low as 59 percent in 1988 (at ages 24 to 42), the first year the question appeared on the survey. Only 2 percent of Boomers in 1988 and 3 percent of Boomers in 2016 said they did not believe in God. The differences between then and now are not statistically significant.

As they aged from young adults to retirees, the religious beliefs of Boomers did not change. What does this mean for Millennials? It means Millennial religious beliefs—as recorded by the 2016 General Social Survey when they were aged 22 to 39—are not likely to change in the decades ahead. Thirty-two percent of Millennials say they have no religious preference, more than twice the share among Boomers. Forty-three percent of Millennials say they are very or moderately religious, well below the Boomer share. Just 50 percent of Millennials say they believe in God without a doubt.  

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the General Social Surveys

Belief in God

Nearly 90 percent of Americans believe in God or a higher power, according to a Pew Research Center survey. But God means different things to different people. The 56 percent majority believe in God as described in the Bible. Here is the percentage by age...

Believe in God as described in Bible
Aged 18 to 29: 43%
Aged 30 to 49: 49%
Aged 50 to 64: 67%
Aged 65-plus: 65%

Among those who believe in God or a higher power, most think God loves all people, has protected them personally, and has rewarded them.

Source: Pew Research Center, When Americans Say They Believe in God, What Do They Mean?

Most and Least Religious States

How religious are Americans? It depends, according to a Gallup analysis of religious fervor by state and region. Gallup identifies the "very religious" as those who say religion is important to them and they attend religious services weekly or almost weekly. By state, the percentage of the population that is "very religious" ranges from a low of 16 percent in Vermont to a high of 59 percent in Mississippi. These are the states in which at least half the population is "very religious" or "not religious."

Very religious
Mississippi: 59%
Alabama: 54%
Utah: 54%
Louisiana: 52%
Arkansas: 50%
South Carolina: 50%

Not religious
New Hampshire: 51%
Maine: 55%
Vermont: 59%

Source: Gallup, The Religious Regions of the U.S.

Median Age by Religious Affiliation

Median age of U.S. adults by religious affiliation...

Presbyterian: 59
Methodist: 57
Lutheran: 56
Southern Baptist: 54
Jewish: 50
Catholic: 49
Total adults: 46
Mormon: 43
None: 38
Muslim: 33

Source: Pew Research Center, Which U.S. Religious Groups Are Oldest and Youngest?

Decline of White, Married Christians

Percentage of American adults who are white, married, and Christian...

2015: 28%
2010: 31%
2000: 35%
1990: 46%
1980: 56%

Source: Public Religion Research Institute, White, Married Christians Decline in U.S.

American Culture Since the 1950s

"Since the 1950s, do you think American culture and way of life has mostly changed for the better, or has it mostly changed for the worse?"

Percent saying America has changed for the worse
72% of White evangelical Protestants
67% of Republicans
58% of White mainline Protestants
58% of White Catholics
53% of all Americans
43% of non-Christian religion affiliation
43% of Black Protestants
41% of Hispanic Catholics
40% of Democrats
35% of religiously unaffiliated

Source: Public Religion Research Institute, Two-Thirds of Republicans Say American Culture Has Worsened Since 1950s

Epic Political Battle Is Religious Too

The political parties are divided by more than ideology. Religion also divides them...

• The single largest religious block among Democrats is the unaffiliated (28%), followed by Catholics (21%), Evangelical Protestants (16%), Mainline Protestants (13%), and historically Black Protestants (12%).
• The largest single religious block among Republicans is Evangelical Protestant (38%), followed by Catholics (21%), Mainline Protestants (17%), the unaffiliated (14%), and other Christian groups (4%).

Source: Pew Research Center, U.S. Public Becoming Less Religious