Religious affiliation in the United States appears to have stabilized after years of steady decline, according to new analysis of data from the Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Study conducted by Lifeway Research.
The findings indicate that 62% of U.S. adults identify as Christian, while 28% report no religious affiliation and 8% belong to other faith traditions. These proportions have remained largely unchanged since 2020, suggesting the long-term erosion of Christian identification may have reached a pause.
Measures of religious practice have also shown little movement in recent years. About 34% of adults attend religious services at least once a month, while 46% say they pray daily and 43% report that religion is very important in their lives.
Within Generation Z, however, the data reveal notable differences by age. Adults born between 2003 and 2007 demonstrate higher levels of religious involvement than those born from 1995 to 2002, pointing to a possible shift within the youngest cohort. Among the younger group, 61% identify with a religion, 35% pray daily, 37% say religion is very important to them, and 41% attend services at least monthly.
By contrast, lower engagement is evident among those born between 1995 and 2002. In that group, 55% identify with a religion, 30% pray daily, and 26% attend religious services on a monthly basis.
Age differences remain pronounced across the broader population. Only 57% of adults under 30 identify with a religion, compared with more than 80% of Americans age 60 and older. Monthly service attendance stands at 31% among those ages 18 to 30, increases to 36% among people in their 60s, and reaches 43% among adults over 70.
Religious switching patterns show that young adults are still more likely to leave Christianity than to join it. Among those ages 18 to 34, 5% became Christians after not being raised in the faith, while 26% left Christianity after growing up Christian. Another 41% were raised Christian and continue to identify as such, while 28% say they have never been Christian.
These patterns differ slightly from those seen among people born in the 1990s, a group in which only 3% converted to Christianity and 31% left the faith. Researchers noted that the younger cohort includes more new converts and fewer departures, suggesting potential movement toward greater retention or renewed interest.
Attendance trends further complicate assumptions about younger adults. Monthly service attendance among those ages 18 to 30 now matches or exceeds that of adults in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. Only Americans over 70 report significantly higher attendance, indicating that Gen Z’s participation is closer to national norms than often assumed.
At the same time, today’s 18- to 24-year-olds are less likely than their counterparts in 2007 or 2014 to express certainty in belief in God, engage in daily prayer, or claim a strong religious identity.
Yet the analysis also found fewer young adults identifying as nominal or cultural Christians. Those who remain religiously affiliated tend to attend church more consistently and report stronger personal conviction, pointing to a smaller but more committed base.
Among Gen Z, the gap between religious identification and active practice is narrower than in older generations. Of the 57% who identify with a religion, 31% attend services monthly, 32% pray daily, and 33% say religion is very important in their lives, a balance that contrasts with older age groups where identity often exceeds engagement.
Based on these findings, Lifeway Research encouraged faith leaders to prioritize retention and deeper discipleship among those already involved, noting that this group demonstrates high levels of commitment and personal devotion despite overall smaller numbers.
