Plain English America's religious decline may be on pause
Mar 16, 2026
They explore new data suggesting the long-term fall in American Christianity may have slowed. They look at rising religious 'nones' and where people go after leaving Christianity. They discuss how religion is passed down and why younger generations may not be less religious than Millennials. They compare organized religion with private spirituality and note global shifts in Christian growth.
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Generational Religious Decline Has Paused
- U.S. religious decline has paused after decades of steady loss.
- Generation Z (early 2000s) is about as likely to identify as Christian and attend monthly services as Millennials (1990s).
Decline Fueled By Rise Of The Nones
- Christianity fell from nearly 90% in the early 1970s to about 62% today.
- The growth largely went to the religiously unaffiliated "nones," now roughly 30% of adults, not to other religions or atheism.
Religious Inheritance Explains Longterm Decline
- Religious identity is largely inherited but imperfect, causing generational leakage.
- More people today leave childhood faith than adopt a new one, producing successive less-religious generations—until the recent pause.