US Religious Landscape

The recent Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life study entitled US Religious Landscape Survey (USRLS) has generated a wealth of information on the religious identity, beliefs and practices of Americans. The telephone interviews with more than 35,000 adults represent a substantial undertaking on the part of the forum to lay out the growing diversity of religion in this country. With such a large sample, extrapolations can be made to the general US adult population of 225 million. As such, the USRLS give us a relatively accurate picture of the religious landscape of the United States.12

New religions are generally thought of in terms of religious groups forming out of the dominant religion of a culture. These often-called “deviant religions” break with the dominant religion and shape into new religious movements. Mormonism and Jehovah’s Witnesses are most commonly associated with such movements. However, recent attempts at understanding new religious movements in the United States have included non-Western religions surfacing as the result of immigration, globalization and/or easternization. As such, it is correct to think of new religious movements being inclusive of world religions when such religions are the minority faith in a country.

Sacred Tribes Journal is interested in new religious movements in the Western cultural context. The data from USRLS provides us with an indication of the size of some NRMs, but not all. Nevertheless, the data is useful and instructive. In an attempt to understand the makeup of these minority religions in the US, this article will address not only the US’s Mormon and Jehovah’s Witness landscape, but also the Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist ones as well.

The Pew survey found that 1.7 percent of Americans identifies themselves as Jewish (3.83 million). They also have one of the highest retention rates of the religions examined. The survey indicated that 76 percent of all people born Jewish remain so throughout their lives. Generally, the vast majority of Jews live in the Northeast of the country (41 percent). New York state and New Jersey have the largest number of Jewish adherents.

Over half of the Jewish population (58 percent) is between the ages of 30 and 64, while the gender composition is split nearly in half (48 percent being female and 52 percent being male). However, the main ethnic composition of Jews is White (95 percent). Only 3 percent is Hispanic, 1 percent Black, and 2 percent listed themselves as Other. An absence of note is that zero percent identified themselves as Asian.

In regards to education, 78 percent indicated having at least some college education, with 35 percent of the total population going on for post-graduate studies. In regards to salaries, almost half of all Jews (46 percent) have a yearly income of over $100,000, and 14 percent make less than $30,000. This deviates strikingly from the national average, where only 18 percent make over $100,000 and 31 percent make less than $30,000 annually.

The survey indicated that 1.9 percent of the US adult population grew up Jewish, but 1.7 percent remained in the faith of their childhood. The survey also indicated that while there were those who apparently switched into Judaism (0.3 percent), there were also those who switched out (0.5 percent) for a net loss of -0.2 percent.

Finally, in dealing with family units, 57 percent of Jews are married, 19 percent have never been married, 9 percent are divorced or separated, 8 percent are widowed, and 6 percent live with a partner. Additionally, nearly two-thirds of all Jews (72 percent) do not have any children living at home; while 20 percent have 1-2 children, and 8 percent have 3 or more.

US adult Muslim population, according to the study, is 0.6 percent; an estimated 1.35 million people. Of that percentage, 0.3 percent self-identify as Sunni, while the remaining 0.3 percent are comprised of Shi’a, other Muslim groups, and those who did not specify further.

The vast majority of Muslims live to the east of the Rocky Mountains (83 percent), with 32 percent living in the southern part of the country. Just over half of the Muslim population is male (54 percent), and nearly half of all Muslims are in the 30-49 age range (48 percent). The next largest age group is 18-29 years old with 29 percent, followed by the 50-64 year old group with 18 percent. Only 5 percent was over 65 years of age.

While 37 percent of Muslims identify as White, 24 percent as Black, 20 percent as Asian, 4 percent as Hispanic, and 15 percent as Other/Mixed, it is important to note the lack of “Arab” as a category. Therefore, it is unknown whether or not Muslims with Middle Eastern heritage are being defined as White, Asian, or something else. Though, if many are being identified as White (as they are in other surveys), that could explain the large percentage for that category.

Additionally, 65 percent are Foreign-Born, with 50 percent of those arriving from Northern Africa and the Middle East and 28 percent arriving from South-Central Asia. The largest percentages are: 24 percent Arab Region, 10 percent Other South Asia, 8 percent Pakistan, 8 percent Iran. Of the 35 percent that are Native-Born, three-fifths converted to Islam, while four-sevenths are also Black.

Sixty percent are currently married and only 28 percent have never been married. Over half (53 percent) have no children living at home, 32 percent have 1-2, and 15 percent have 3 or more. Only 21 percent of Muslim adults have less than a high school education. Of the 79 percent who have graduated from high school, 47 percent go on to college, and 10 percent continue into post-graduate studies.

It is important to note that the information used about Islam and Muslims within this survey was taken from an earlier study, “Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream,” that was conducted by the Pew Forum and released in May 2007.3

Hindus comprise 0.4 percent of the US adult population (ca. 900,000). Included among this group are the following: Vaishnava Hindus < 0.3 percent; Shaivite Hindus < 0.3 percent; Other Hindu groups < 0.3 percent; Hindu, not further specified< 0.3 percent; the total 0.4 percent figure represents 0.9 million US adults.

The geographical regions of the US Hindus are relatively equally distributed: 29 percent of Hindus live in the Northeast, 13 percent in the Midwest, 32 percent in the South and 26 percent in the West. Over half of the US Hindus (58 percent) are in the 30-49 age range. The next largest age group is 50-64 years old with 19 percent, followed by the 18-29 year old group with 18 percent. Only 5 percent is over 65 years old. A majority of US Hindus are male (61 percent) and this figure ranks the first among all religious traditions in US. In sharp contrast to other major religions in US, Hinduism is primarily made up of Asian (88 percent). Only 5 percent of Hindus identify as White, 2 percent as Hispanic, 1 percent as Black and 4 percent as Other/Mixed.

Only 2 percent of Hindus switched from Protestantism, while 4 percent switched from Catholicism. Ninety percent of Hindus are non-converts. Eighty-four percent of Hindus were raised in the faith of their parents and have remained in the faith from childhood to adulthood. Only 8 percent of Hindus converted to other religious groups and to no religion.

Hindus in US are much more likely than other religious groups to report high income levels. Forty-three percent of US Hindus earn $100,000 or more per year and this figure ranks the second after US Jews (46 percent). Hindus also tend to have higher levels of education than members of other religious traditions. The survey shows that 48 percent of Hindus in the US, have obtained post-graduate education, compared with only about one-in-ten of the adult population overall. Seventy-nine percent of US Hindus are currently married (ranks the first among all religious traditions in US) and only 14 percent of them have never been married (ranks the second among all religious traditions in US). Over half (52 percent) have no children living at home, 45 percent have 1-2, and 3 percent have 3 or more.

The Pew survey indicates that 0.7 percent of the US adult population identified themselves as Buddhists. Included among this group are the following: Theravada Buddhists (Vipassana) < 0.3 percent; Mahayana (Zen) < 0.3 percent; Vajrayana (Tibetan) < 0.3 percent; Other Buddhist groups< 0.3 percent; Buddhist, not further specified 0.3 percent. The Buddhist tradition is made up of several distinct groups, the largest of which is Zen Buddhism. The total 0.7 percent figure represents 1.575 million US adults.

Most adults in the category of Buddhism live in the West (45 percent) and South (23 percent). Seventy percent of their population falls between the ages of thirty and sixty-four. Fifty-three percent are male. In sharp contrast to Islam and Hinduism, Buddhism in the U.S. is primarily made up of native-born adherents, whites and converts. Only one-in-three (32 percent) American Buddhists describe their race as Asian, while nearly three-in-four Buddhists say they are converts to Buddhism. Thirty-two percent of Buddhists were switched from Protestantism and that number represents 504,000 US adults. Twenty-two percent of Buddhists were raised in the faith of Catholicism and that number represents 346,500. Fifty percent of those in Buddhism category were raised in the faith of their parents and have remained in the faith from childhood to adulthood. While 22 percent of Buddhists switched into other religious groups and 28 percent of Buddhists converted to no religion.

They are generally middle income families (56 percent of them earn $50,000 or more per year). Buddhists tend to have higher levels of education than members of other religious traditions; the survey indicates that seventy-four percent of Buddhists have college or post-graduate education. More than a quarter of Buddhists have obtained post-graduate education, compared with only about one-in-ten of the adult population overall. Forty-five percent of them are married and the majority (70 percent) has no children. But thirty-one percent of them claim that they have never married and this figure ranks the second among all major religious traditions in U.S.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints make up 1.7 percent of this population. This figure suggests that approximately 3.83 million US adults are Mormon. The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey shows that 76 percent (2.91 million) of the Mormon population occupies the Western region of the U.S. (mountain west, pacific west and southwest). The Southern states have a distribution of 12 percent, while the Midwest boasts 7 percent, and the northeast holding a total population of 4 percent.

The distribution of age within the Mormon adult population is as follows: approximately 42 percent fall within the age group of 30-49 years old. The second largest group (24 percent) is made up of individuals aged 18-29, followed by people aged 50-64 which is 19 percent, and only 15 percent (573,750) of Mormons are over the age of 65. Gender composition shows that over half (56 percent) of Mormon adults in the U.S. are women, with men representing 44 percent.

The racial and ethnic composition of Mormons in the U.S. indicates that 3.3 million (86 percent) Mormons are White (non-Hispanic), 7 percent are Hispanic, Black and Other/Mixed (non-Hispanic) each account for 3 percent respectively. The smallest demographic in the ethnic composition of Mormons in the U.S. are Asian which makes up 1% of the Mormon population. The Religious Landscape data suggests that distribution of income amongst Mormons is relatively equal: 26 percent of Mormons earn less than $30,000/yr. 22 percent earn between $50,000-$74,999/year, 21 percent earn $30,000-$49,999/year, 16 percent earn $75,000-$99,999/year, and also 16 percent earn more than $100,000 yearly. The educational distribution among Mormons implies that only 9 percent of Mormons have less than a high school education; 10 percent have done post graduate study, 18 percent of Mormons are college graduates, 30 percent are high school graduates, finally, 32 percent have attended some college.

Figures on the marital status of Mormons show that the vast majority (71 percent) of Mormons are married. Twelve percent have never married, 9 percent are divorced or separated, 5 percent have been widowed, and 3 percent are living with a partner. Interesting figures of note come through analysis of a chart providing the number of children in Mormon households. Though the study surveyed that 71 percent of Mormons are married, more than half (51 percent) of Mormons do not have any children. Fourteen percent have one child and another 14 percent have two children, 12 percent have three children and nine percent have four or more children.

In regards to conversion, figures show that 28 percent of U.S. adults have changed their religious affiliation from the affiliations to which they were born. The Pew survey indicated that 74 percent (2.83 million) of the U.S. Mormon population are “non-converts,” meaning that they were born into LDS Church. However, the figures show that 13 percent of Mormons converted from a Protestant background, while 7 percent of U.S. Mormons were former Catholics. Only 1 percent converted from all other faiths (Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, etc.), and roughly 192,000 or 5 percent of converts were classified as unaffiliated.

The survey indicated that 0.7 percent of the U.S. population identifies themselves as Jehovah’s Witnesses. This number accounts for an estimated 1.58 million adherents. Looking geographically, the largest concentration (36 percent) of Jehovah’s Witnesses live in the south, followed by 29 percent in Western states, 19 percent in the Midwest and 16 percent in the Northeast.

The age distributions among adult adherents are as follows: 39 percent are between the ages of 30 and 49 years of age, 25 percent are between the ages of 50 and 64, 21 percent are between 18 and 29 years of age, 14 percent are 65 years of age or above. The gender composition of Jehovah’s Witnesses shows that women (60 percent) out number men (40 percent).

The racial and ethnic composition indicates that nearly half (48 percent) of U.S. Jehovah’s Witnesses are white (non-Hispanic), 24 percent are Hispanic, 22 percent are black (non-Hispanic) and 5 percent are classified as “other/mixed.” The income distribution numbers indicate the majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses are middle class. The figures show that 42 percent earn less than $30,000/year, 23 percent earn between $30,000-$49,999/year, 17 percent earn between $50,000-$74,000/year, 9 percent earn between $75,000-$99,000/year and 9 percent earns more than $100,000 annually.

The survey also included the martial status of the respondents. Over 53 percent indicated that they are married, 14 percent indicated they are either divorced or separated, 20 percent have never been married, 1 percent indicated that they were living with a partner, and 11 percent were widowed. In regards to children, a very telling 63 percent of Jehovah’s Witnesses do not have any children, which could adversely affect affiliation in the future. Sixteen percent of Jehovah’s Witnesses indicated that they have one child, 11 percent have two children, 6 percent have three children, and 4 percent have four our more children.

In light of religious switching, it is interesting to note that only 37 percent of all Jehovah’s Witnesses are “non-converts” meaning that they were born into their faith. Of the people that converted, 33 percent grew up Protestant, 26 percent previously identified themselves as Catholic, 1 percent were apart of “other faiths” and 8 percent were previously unaffiliated with any particular religious group. According to the study, Jehovah’s Witnesses have one of the lowest retention rates, with just over 37 percent of its adherents being born into the faith, 30 percent have switched to another group, while 33 percent have switched to “no faith.”

Finally, the survey estimated that 1.2 percent of the US adult population identified themselves in the category of “Other Faiths.” Other Faiths include Unitarian and other liberal groups, New Age (including Wicca, Pagan religions and other New Age religions), as well as Native American Religions. The 1.2 percent figure represents 2.7 million US adults.

Of those in the category of Other Faiths, 80 percent are white and mostly male (54 percent). They are generally born in the United States. Most of the spouses of those of Other Faiths are of a different faith themselves, including 40 percent who indicated having a Christian spouse. Ninety-one percent of those from the category switched into their current faith. That number represents 2.46 million US adults and also suggests approximately 9 percent of those in the Other Faiths category were raised in the faith of their parents and have remained in the faith from childhood to adulthood. While 91 percent of those of Other Faiths switched into their current faith, 73 percent switched from Christianity. That represents 1.97 million US adults who were once either Protestant or Catholic – fifty percent of those switching to Other Faiths were once Protestant while 23 percent were once Catholic. In comparison to Buddhism (54 percent indicated having been Christian), more than twice as many Christians have converted to Other Faiths (1.97 million compared to 850,500).

Most adults in the category of Other Faiths live in the West or South. Sixty-four percent of their population falls between the ages of 30 and 64. They are generally middle income families (44 percent are married) or individuals who indicated having at least a high school education while the majority has indicated some college to postgraduate education. Forty-four percent are married and the majority (69 percent) has no children.

Since the 1965 Immigration Act, minority religious movements in the United States have grown at a continued pace. As the survey indicates, among the minority religions considered as world religions (Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism), relatively few US adults have switched religious affiliation. The one notable exception is in Buddhism (850,500 switched). In the case of new religious movements (Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Other Faiths) religious switching was more prevalent. It should be no surprise that religious switching occurs in a religiously pluralistic context. With competing religious views and a market-like perspective on religion, one can shop for religious options to suit their desires. The Pew survey should make us aware that religious switching will continue and most of the switching will be away from Christianity to another religion.

In light of the data suggesting the decline of Christianity in the United States, the church must begin asking questions about why it is losing members. According to the Pew Forum survey, Protestant groups have a net loss of 2.6 percent of US adults (5.85 million). While the number of adults entering Protestant groups seems positive (8.4 percent, 18.9 million) the number leaving (11 percent, 24.75 million) indicates a growing change in religious identification among Americans Protestants. Catholics fair even worse with only 2.6 percent entering and 10.1 percent leaving for a net loss of 7.5 percent (16.875 million). The only groups with any appreciable growth are Jehovah’s Witnesses (+0.1 percent), Adventist (+0.1 percent), Holiness (+0.4 percent), Pentecostal (+0.5 percent), Protestant nonspecific (+1.5 percent) and Nondenominational (+3 percent).

If Christianity in general is in decline while a few Christian groups continue to show some growth, the natural question is why are some growing and others not. Only educated speculation can suffice at this stage due to a lack of data. However, a couple assumptions can be made in regards to the general decline of Christianity. First, American Christians know little about their faith as well as the faith of others. Due to a lack of knowledge about faith, the incorporation of other faith ideas into one’s religious expression precipitates a crisis of religious identity. Nowadays, a Christian can practice Yoga, Tai Chi or any number of religious activities and not feel conflicted with their own beliefs. In so doing, Christianity is no longer unique among the religions, but is simply one among the religions. Second, with a religious identity crisis comes a greater tendency to switch religious affiliation. Thus, it is no surprise that the category of Other Faiths (0.9 percent), Buddhism (0.3 percent), Muslim (0.1 percent) have grown. Even those who indicated Agnostic (2.1 percent) and Nothing in Particular (5.5 percent) still have religious tendency yet no longer identify with a specific religious group. Finally, for religious switching to occur indicates that many are not satisfied with their present religious identity and are seeking such satisfaction in alternative religions.

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life survey of the US religious landscape is a valuable source of information for understanding the religious nature of the United States. We continue to anticipate more data on the religious practice of Americans. However, while we wait, it seems clear that the religiously pluralistic context of the United States has increased the religious options and Americans are willing to switch to other faith expressions.