Christian decline in the US? Not so fast.
The results of the Pew Research Center’s latest Religious Landscape Study on religion and American culture were released recently and caused quite a stir. The title sums up the main takeaway: “Decline of Christianity in the US Has Slowed, May Have Leveled Off.” The study is based on the responses of 36,908 individuals who completed the Pew survey on paper, online, or via phone interview between July 17, 2023 and March 4, 2024.
The study found that “62% of U.S. adults describe themselves as Christian.” This figure has held steady in recent years, but it’s still down significantly from 78% as reported in 2007. Among the respondents in 2023-2024, 40% identify as Protestants, 19% as Catholic, and 3% as other branches of Christianity. At the same time, 29% responded they are unaffiliated, with 5% identifying as atheist, 6% as agnostic, and 19% as “nothing in particular.” A small percentage of respondents identified as Jewish (~2%), Muslim (~1%), Buddhist (~1%), and Hindu (~1). Thus, a significant majority of respondents affirmed religious identity of one kind or another.[1]
Also of interest is the finding that “religious beliefs and practice have held fairly steady in recent years.” Daily prayer practices have remained stable since 2021 at 44%, as have monthly attendance at religious services at 33%. While these numbers haven’t declined since 2021, one should keep in mind they are significantly lower compared to the figures in 2007. Nearly 20 years ago, 58% of respondents said they prayed daily and 54% attended religious services at least once a month.[2]
This report came as a relief to many Christians after the last Religious Study report in 2014 revealed a continuing steep decline in religious affiliation among the American population since the 2007 report. Needless to say, among Christians there was much anticipation for the release of the 2025 report.
Even before this year’s report came out, there had been signs in the culture of a possible change in the trends. One could point to the tens of millions who have watched Jordan Peterson’s YouTube and Daily Wire series on Genesis, Exodus, and the Gospels. Or the cultural phenomenon of The Chosen series, a crowd-funded drama that focuses on the lives of the disciples and Jesus. Or one can point to secular intellectuals, such as historian Tom Holand and cultural critic Douglas Murry and their recent work arguing the importance of Christianity as the bedrock of values and morality in Western Civilization.
All this is in the wake of the apparent collapse of the New Atheism that took the West by storm after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. After piling on contempt and scorn for religion for more than two decades, it has become more obvious than ever that New Atheists, such as Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, have been unable to provide a foundation for morality and values in our culture. Just this past year, Dawkins called himself a “cultural Christian,” in that he appreciates the decency and ethos of Christianity.[3] Again, in this past year, the prominent New Atheist intellectual Ayan Hirsi Ali converted to Christianity and is now arguing that we need a Christian revival in the United States.[4]
These examples are merely anecdotal, but together they seem to indicate a change in the cultural “vibe.” Justin Brierly has recently argued we may now be experiencing “the surprising rebirth of belief in God” (the title of his new book) and the low tide of faith during the hey-day of the New Atheism is now in resurgence. He writes, “Anybody who lives by the sea can tell you that tides go out and tides come in, but inexperienced holidaymakers can still be caught out by how quickly the water returns.”[5] Are we experiencing a resurgence in Christianity today?
A sober interpretation of the reports is needed. The 2025 report indicates simply that the downward trend of Americans identifying as Christians has plateaued after a 20-year period of decline, not that there is a Christian resurgence. Yet it is true that oftentimes a resurgence starts with a plateau—indeed, a low point.
The Pew research data reveals some encouraging numbers on the worldviews of its respondents that may certainly be a cause of optimism for spreading the gospel message. The vast majority of respondents indicated they believe in the supernatural worldview and not a materialist worldview (in which all that exits is matter). Specifically, 86% of the respondents indicated they believe in a soul or spirit, 83% believe in the divine, 79% believe in the spiritual realm, and 70% believe in an afterlife. This means a slim minority of individuals in the United States are pure materialists. So, while only 62% identified as Christian, the vast majority of respondents said they believe in the spiritual realm. This reveals that many non-Christians may indeed be open to conversations about the spiritual life and the Christian faith.[6]
The data also indicates Christianity in the U.S. is becoming increasingly ethnically diverse. While white Christians decreased from 70% in 2007 to 61% in 2024, the percentage of Hispanic Christians increased 5% in the same time frame, from 13% in 2007 to 18% in 2024. This is particularly evident in the Roman Catholic Church, where Hispanic Christians have increased from 29% to 36% in this period. The report also indicates the percentage of black Christians has remained steady, rising one percentage point from 2007 to 2024. The increasing ethnic diversity of American churches presents an opportunity for Christian communities to adapt and serve others intentionally.
But the survey also revealed some causes of concern for Christians. The data suggests a further decline in religious belief and practice among Americans due to a few significant factors. The foremost being that the younger generation is less religious than older generations and historical evidence that “no recent birth cohort has become more religious as it has aged.”[7] Indeed, this data would indicate, if there were to be a resurgence of Christianity in the United States, Generation Z and Alpha must factor significantly in these efforts.
As we reflect on the ebbs and flows of Christianity in our own time, it is helpful to remember this is common in the history of the Church. The waning faith of Christians can be fanned into flame once again, as evident in the Great Awakening in the 1730s and 1740s. Christian leaders, such as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, preached the gospel with conviction and dynamism—faithful leaders called for such a time as theirs (Esther 4:14). Even still, the church has thrived and then significantly declined in some regions, such as in central Asia under the Seljuk Turks and the Mongols in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. But Christianity can be revitalized. As Chesterton once wrote, “Christianity has died many times and risen again; for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave.”[8]
The Pew Research Center’s 2025 Religious Landscape Study is a reminder, and we always need reminders, that we are to preach the gospel and live it out in our daily lives wherever we are and with everyone become in contact with—in our families, in our friendships, in our workplaces, and in the public square. The Harvest is certainly plentiful (Luke 10:2), and we need to conscientiously continue living out our faith with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12), building the kingdom of God (Romans 14:17), feeding the poor (1 Corinthians 13:3), caring for the sick (James 5:14), making and baptizing disciples (John 4:1), and walking the way of the cross each and every day (Luke 9:23). Let the world know us by the love we have for one another (John 13:35).
William Skiles, Ph.D., is a historian in Regent University’s College of Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on the history of Christianity.
[1] Smith, G., et al., “Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed, May Have Leveled Off,” Pew Research Center (February 26, 2025), Accessed April 1, 2025. US Christian Decline May Be Stabilizing: 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study | Pew Research Center
[2] Smith, et al, “Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed.”
[3] Walter Sànches Silva, “Famous Atheist Richard Dawkins Says He Considers Himself a ‘Cultural Christian.’” Catholic News Agency (April 3, 2024), Accessed March 31, 2025. Famous atheist Richard Dawkins says he considers himself a ‘cultural Christian’ | Catholic News Agency
[4] Ayan Hirsi Ali, “Full Debate: Does the West Need a Religious Revival?” The Free Press. (March 14, 2025), Accessed March 31, 2025. (432) Full Debate: Does the West Need a Religious Revival? – YouTube
[5] Justin Brierly, The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2023), p. 5.
[6] Smith, et al., “Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed.”
[7] Smith, et al., “Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed,” p. 6
[8] G.K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man (New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1925), p. 312.
