Are We Approaching the End of the Secular Surge?
February 17, 2022
One of the defining demographic trends of the past several decades has been the rise of the “Nones,” also known as the religiously unaffiliated. The General Social Survey (GSS), which has measured national religious identity since the early 1970s, first identified the spike in nonreligious affiliation starting in the mid-1990s. In recent years, there have Continue Reading →
Is the Pandemic Sparking an Online Religious Revival?
February 4, 2022
One of the very first things the Internet accomplished was allowing people to bypass traditional gatekeepers. For religious Americans, the rise of the Internet meant unfettered and unfiltered access to information about their own faith. A 2001 Pew Research Center report found that one of the most common online activities for “Religious Surfers” (religious people who spent Continue Reading →
Will the Pandemic Bring About the End of Small Churches?
January 20, 2022
News about religious trends in the US is rarely upbeat. A recent exception was Bob Smietana’s article for Religion News Service in which he documented how declining service attendance has created a new category of “minichurches” that feature fewer members than you might find at a family reunion. But with fewer congregants, religious leaders are able to Continue Reading →
How Much Should We Worry about Political Violence?
January 6, 2022
Last year, Tom Gjelten of NPR asked me what I made of the fact that our poll showed nearly four in ten Republicans appeared to endorse the use of force in politics. I said it was “pretty scary”. A year later, I still feel that way. That 29 percent of Americans, and 39 percent of Republicans, appear ready to Continue Reading →
Charting the Most Important Findings in American Life in 2021
December 23, 2021
To round out the year, I’m sharing my top 10 list of the most revealing and arresting charts documenting changes to American life in 2021. Although many of these are based on our own survey work, we do not have a monopoly on producing insightful charts and compelling visualizations, so I included a few other Continue Reading →
Can Coffee Shops Fill in a Void Left When Churches Disappear?
December 9, 2021
As a long-time researcher on religious trends, I’ve spent a good part of my career documenting and discussing the decline of religion in American life. Oftentimes, at the conclusion of a lecture or presentation, I would be met with some combination of consternation and dismay. Then I get the inevitable question: “If religion is going Continue Reading →
Yes, You Should Talk Politics with Your Family Over Thanksgiving
November 24, 2021
Every year, the specter of political discord looms over the holidays. But despite the widespread attention it garners, few Americans report fighting over politics at the dinner table. This year, most of us are seeking to strenuously avoid political topics at family get-togethers. This is a mistake. Americans are likely tired of talking about politics. But we should. In Continue Reading →
How Unsafe Drinking Water Undermines Public Trust in Government
November 12, 2021
Growing up in Western New York, I have vivid memories of playing outside on hot summer days. My brothers and I would race around our yard, pausing to take a drink from the garden hose. I never thought much about the water I was drinking. Or whether it was safe. It wasn’t until I moved Continue Reading →
Americans Might be Lonelier than Ever, But Mormon Communities Are Thriving
October 28, 2021
It’s difficult to be optimistic about the state of American public life these days. Neighborhoods are being torn apart by politics. We are suffering through a national civic decline, a friendship recession and an epidemic of loneliness. And we’re seemingly angry about everything. And yet, if you ask Americans about life in their own community the situation doesn’t seem quite Continue Reading →
Does Marriage Make Us Happier?
October 14, 2021
Marriage is on the decline. That’s not breaking news, but a new report from the Pew Research Center sheds new light on the magnitude of the drop. In nearly three decades, the number of Americans between the ages of 25 and 54 who are married dropped from over two-thirds to roughly half. Four in 10 (38 percent) Continue Reading →
Survey Reports
In the news
May 28, 2023
The Rise of Religious ‘Nones’ Won’t Save Democrats
