The number of Americans who say they have no religious affiliation has reached an all-time high, according to a massive running study.
Data from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) shows that 28% of Americans identify as “religiously unaffiliated,” up from 16% in 2006. The rise is fueled by significant rises in younger age groups of a lack of religious affiliation.
PRRI said that its study, which uses data going back to 2006 and has been conducted as an annual census by the institute since 2013, shows that 38% of those aged 18- to 29 said in 2024 that, they have no religion up from 32% in 2013. Among those aged 30 to 49, 34% were religiously unaffiliated, much greater than in 2013, when it was 23%. The findings were first reported by Axios.
The study used by PRRI was a random sample of 40,000 adults across the U.S. conducted by Ipsos–a far more authoritative size than the polls used to predict election outcomes.
The growing tide of irreligion appears to affect all denominations, the study found, and is occurring at a scale and speed which sets it apart from previous generational shifts in belief.
Analysts point to a mix of factors fueling the trend: declining trust in institutions, growing political polarization tied to religion, and the rise of online communities that offer moral frameworks and belonging outside of traditional faith spaces. Social media, streaming platforms, and digital activism have created alternative forms of identity and meaning that don’t require church membership—or belief.
The shift has become increasingly visible around moments traditionally tied to faith. Even President Trump, who campaigned heavily on evangelical Christian culture war issues, did not attend church on Christmas Day this year. However he did order airstrikes in Nigeria against fundamentalist Muslim groups his administration says are persecuting Christians.
The findings also call into doubt claims of a revival particularly in the Catholic faith, which had been made repeatedly on social media, especially in the wake of Pope Leo XIV’s election as the first American pope.
The census shows unexpected consequences for both parties. PRRI reported that religiously unaffiliated voters account for roughly 34 percent of the Democratic coalition. While Democrats benefit from the growth of secular voters, those voters are harder to mobilize through traditional outreach.
Democratic strategist Sisto Abeyta, a New Mexico–based consultant with TriStrategies, told Axios that religiously unaffiliated voters are significantly harder—and more expensive—to reach. Campaigns, he said, spend about $1.40 per voter trying to engage religious ones, compared to roughly 45 cents for religiously affiliated voters.
“We have to find (religiously unaffiliated voters), engage them and answer their skeptical questions, Abeyta told Axios. ”Rather than just go to a church and pass out campaign literature."
PRRI’s data shows that Republicans remain heavily anchored to white Christian voters, who make up roughly 68 percent of the GOP coalition, while only about 12 percent of Republican voters identify as religiously unaffiliated.
