Overview

• The proportion of religious 'nones' in the U.S. has surged from 1 in 20 to over 1 in 4 in recent decades, reflecting a shift away from organized religion.
• New findings reveal that many Americans are abandoning institutional religion due to conflicts between traditional values and evolving social issues, including LGBTQ rights and gender equality.
• While church attendance and religious affiliation have plummeted, personal spiritual practices such as meditation have grown, and belief in God remains steady.
• The concept of a 'faith-religion cycle' suggests a historical pattern where individuals alternate between institutional religion and personalized spirituality.
• The decline in institutional participation is most pronounced among politically liberal individuals, but it spans all demographics, signaling a broader cultural transformation.