Religious ‘Switching’ Patterns will help determine Christianity’s Course in U.S.
Although Christianity is by far the majority faith in the U.S., religious switching – beginning in the late teen years – has resulted in a net flow of millions of Americans from
Christian to
unaffiliated. In this article by the Pew Research Center, Alan Cooperman argues that Christians have higher birthrates than “nones,” which bolsters the Christian numbers, but not enough to offset voluntary changes in religious affiliation. Looking at the experience of 80 countries, the author suggests that the share of people who were raised as Christians and switch away from Christianity has not risen much above 50 percent anywhere, even in highly secular Western European countries. All the scenarios show some decline in Christian affiliation, however, and under some scenarios Christians could lose their majority status in the U.S. within a few decades.
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/09/29/religious-switching-patterns-will-help-determine-christianitys-course-in-u-s/
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