1. Religion Trends in the U.S.
Greg Smith
Director of U.S. Religion Surveys, Religion & Public Life Project
Pew Research Center
Note: Not for publication, dissemination or quotation without the Pew Research Center’s permission.

2. 2
Source: Pew Research Center survey, June 28-July 9, 2012. Figures may not add to 100% due to rounding.
12%
16%
71%
Agnostic
Atheist
Composition of the Unaffiliated
Nothing in
particular

3. 3Source: Pew Research Center/Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly survey, June 28-July 9, 2012.
27
6
21
66%
24
11
20
22%
0 20 40 60 80 100
Nothing in
particular
Atheist/Agnosti
c
Unaffiliated
Affiliated
Daily Weekly/monthly
Frequency of Prayer

4. 4Source: Pew Research Center survey, June 28-July 9, 2012.
19
2
14
58%
22
14
19
22%
0 20 40 60 80 100
Nothing in
particular
Atheist/Agnosti
c
Unaffiliated
General public
Very Somewhat
Importance of Religion

5. 5Source: Aggregated data from surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center, 2007-2012.
3 2
11
13
38%
49%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
2007 2012
Seldom/never attend
Attend monthly/yearly
Attend weekly or more
2008 2009 2010 2011
%
Trends in Disaffiliation, by Religious Attendance
% of each attendance category that is unaffiliated

6. 6Source: Pew Research Center/Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly survey, June 28-July 9, 2012.
% of “nothings in particular” who are…
Nothing
in
particular
%
Looking for religion that is right for them 10
Not doing this 88
Don’t know 2
100
Looking for a Religion?

7. 7
Unaffiliated Affiliated Christian
% % %
Spiritual energy located in
physical things such as
mountains, trees and
crystals
30 25 23
Yoga, not just as
exercise, but as a spiritual
practice
28 23 21
Reincarnation, that people
will be reborn again and
again
25 24 22
Astrology, that the position
of stars/planets can affect
people’s lives
25 25 23
Evil eye, that certain
people can cast curses or
spells that cause harm
12 17 16
Source: Pew Research Center survey, August 2009. Q291a-c,e,f. Other responses and those who did not give an answer are not shown.
Other Spiritual Beliefs
% saying they believe in each of the following

8. 8Source: Pew Research Center survey, June 28-July 9, 2012. Q22. Those who did not give an answer are not shown. Whites and blacks include only those who
are not Hispanic; Hispanics are of any race.
Importance of Shared Community
49%
61
61
59
43
40
28
34%
29
27
31
41
43
40
16%
8
11
9
15
16
31
Very important Somewhat important Not too/Not at all important
U.S. general public
Black Protestant
Hispanic Catholic
White evangelical
White Catholic
White mainline
Unaffiliated
% saying belonging to a community of people who share your
values and beliefs is …

9. Source: General Social Surveys. 9
Daily Prayer
% saying they pray daily, by generation
69%
72%
59
68
47
64
42
58
41
43
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
Early '70s Late '70s Early '80s Late '80s Early '90s Late '90s Early '00s Late '00s Early '10s
Greatest (born before 1928) Silent (1928-1945) Baby Boomers (1946-1964)
Generation X (1965-1980) Millennials (1981-1994)

10. Source: General Social Surveys. 10
Life-Cycle Effect on Affiliation
% unaffiliated with a religion, by generation
3
7
6
10
13
15
20 21
26%
29%
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Early '70s Late '70s Early '80s Late '80s Early '90s Late '90s Early '00s Late '00s Early '10s
Greatest (born before 1928) Silent (1928-1945) Baby Boomers (1946-1964)
Generation X (1965-1980) Millennials (1981-1994)

11. 11
Weekly
Monthly/
Yearly
Seldom/
Never DK N
% % % %
U.S. general public 37 33 29 1 = 100 17,010
Affiliated 48 34 18 1 = 100 13,821
Christian 49 33 17 1 = 100 13,086
Protestant 49 33 17 1 = 100 7,316
White evangelical 63 27 10 1 = 100 3,473
White mainline 27 43 30 * = 100 3,035
Black Protestant 56 32 12 1 = 100 1,319
Catholic 41 41 17 1 = 100 3,692
White Catholic 41 41 18 * = 100 2,546
Hispanic Catholic 42 41 16 1 = 100 866
Unaffiliated 5 22 72 1 = 100 2,942
Atheist/Agnostic 3 13 83 1 = 100 908
Nothing in particular 6 26 67 1 = 100 2,034
Source: Aggregated data from surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center, January-July 2012. Whites and blacks include only those who are not Hispanic;
Hispanics are of any race. Figures may not add to 100% due to rounding.
Frequency of Worship Attendance

12. Religious Trends in the U.S.
Greg Smith
Director of U.S. Religion Surveys, Religion & Public Life Project
Pew Research Center
www.pewresearch.org/religion