As cultural crises continue, a new poll from Gallup reveals a heartbreaking reality driving our collective consternation: a significant decrease in the proportion of Americans who believe in God.
While 81% of U.S. adults told Gallup they still believe in the Lord, this proportion is down from the 87% measured in 2017 and the 92% recorded in 2011 — and it is the lowest measure ever registered since Gallup began asking the question in 1944.
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Meanwhile, a notable 17% said they do not believe in the Almighty.
These proportions have captured headlines, though some of the most intriguing findings emerge when one digs deeper into the data. According to Gallup, numerous categories of Americans have decreased their propensity to believe in God, but two remain relatively unchanged: married adults and conservatives.
From 2013 to 2017, 89% of married U.S. adults expressed belief in God, with that proportion remaining at 88% in 2022. At the same time, 95% of conservatives expressed belief in the Lord between 2013 and 2017, with that proportion remaining at 94% in 2022.
One of the poll’s most shocking changes observed over time surrounds Democrats, liberals, and young people. These three cohorts not only have the lowest self-professed belief in God but also experienced the most significant declines over time.
Liberals (62%) are the least likely cohort to believe in God, declining 11% from 2013 to 2017 compared with 2022. And while 72% of Democrats said they believe in the Lord, that group experienced a 12-point decrease during the same period, which is the largest recorded for any other cohort.
Young people between the ages of 18 and 29 also declined 10 percentage points from 78% to 68%.
These tragic numbers come as America grapples with violence and epidemics of suicide, drug overdoses, and other struggles. While people keep moving away from God, data keeps pointing to the essentiality and benefits of faith.
As Faithwire reported, Gallup Senior Scientist Frank Newport recently pointed to statistics found by his polling firm backing the notion that attending religious services has a compelling impact on people’s life views.
“The January Gallup data indicate that 92% of those who attend church services weekly are satisfied, compared with 82% of those who attend less than monthly,” Newport wrote. “The difference is even more evident in terms of the percentage who report being very satisfied — 67% of those who attend weekly are very satisfied with their personal life, compared with 48% among those who are infrequent attenders.”
Read more about the latest Gallup results here.
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