January 2024
People in the U.S. are generally more inclined to say they are religious and/or spiritual than people in other Western countries. The balance is tilting towards spirituality.
According to a new Pew survey, 41 percent of Americans say they have become more spiritual over the course of their lifetime, while 24 percent say they have grown more religious. Correspondingly, 13 percent say they have become less spiritual and 33 percent less religious. The rest say their spirituality/religiosity has stayed more or less the same.
When asked to define spirituality, roughly a quarter of respondents make references to religious elements, whereas a third define it as a belief in a higher power, the unseen or the otherworldly.
Evangelical protestants are especially likely to say they have become more spiritual. Atheists stand out as the group where the largest percentage say they have become less spiritual over time.
Anders Bolling
