US EditionWhy some Americans Have Left Protestantism, While Others Stay or Join
Belief in teachings and positive childhood religious experiences are key to retention, while 35% of Americans have left their childhood religion, Pew finds.
- On Dec. 15, 2025, Pew Research Center released an analysis based on a May 5–11, 2025 American Trends Panel survey of nearly 8,900 U.S. adults and the 2023–24 Religious Landscape Study, showing most Americans were raised in a religion and about 35% have left their childhood faith.
- Pew found belief in a religion's teachings and childhood religious experiences strongly influence retention, with 85% of people who change religion doing so before age 30.
- Among Catholics, 46% of former adherents said they stopped believing in the church's teachings, while former Catholics who are now Protestant most often cited belief and fewer former Catholics who are now religiously unaffiliated reported weekly Mass attendance in childhood.
- Republican identifiers are more likely to keep their childhood faith, with retention rates varying by religion—Hindus 82%, Muslims 77%, Jews 76%, Protestants 70%, and Catholics 57%—and age and political affiliation also correlate with these patterns.
- Only a minority of parents say children take part in at least four religious activities, with 27% reporting this, while religious 'nones' raised without a religion rarely adopt one later, at just 3% of U.S. adults.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Pew: Jews among US adults most likely to remain in childhood faith
The survey found that 84% of adults who say they had a positive religious experience as a child report being in the same faith today. By JNS Jews are among the religious groups in the United States most likely to retain their childhood faith, according to a Pew survey released on Monday. Among Americans who say they were raised Jewish, 76% continue to identify with the religion. That number is similar to the percentage of Hindus, Muslims and Pro…
Hindus, Muslims and Jews are more likely to keep their childhood faith than Protestants, Catholics and LDS
A majority (56%) of Americans still identify with their childhood faith, while a third (35%) have switched — including 20% who now say they have no religion.
Why do some people stay in their religion and others leave? A new Pew report has some clues.
(RNS) — Americans who had a positive religious experience as kids are most likely to keep the same faith as adults. Those who had negative experiences are most likely to change faiths or give up on religion. And while a majority (56%) of Americans still identify with their childhood faith, a third (35%) have switched — including 20% who now say they have no religion. Those are among the findings of a new report from Pew Research Center, based on…
Why some Americans have left Catholicism, while others stay
Read about how Americans who were raised Catholic experienced religion as kids, as well as their reasons for staying in or leaving the faith. The post Why some Americans have left Catholicism, while others stay appeared first on Pew Research Center.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 34% of the sources lean Left, 33% of the sources are Center, 33% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
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