Majority of U.S. Catholics Express Favorable View of Pope Francis
Most U.S. Catholics view Francis favorably and say he represents change in the church. Majorities also support allowing Catholics to use birth control and priests to marry.
Most U.S. Catholics view Francis favorably and say he represents change in the church. Majorities also support allowing Catholics to use birth control and priests to marry.
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A new survey asked respondents who have heard at least โa littleโ about Christian nationalism: โIn your own words, what does the phrase โChristian nationalismโ mean to you?โ These responses capture the range of different views expressed.
Since the 1990s, large numbers of Americans have left Christianity to join the growing ranks of U.S. adults who describe their religious identity as atheist, agnostic or โnothing in particular.โ If recent trends in religious switching continue, Christians could make up less than half of the U.S. population within a few decades.
The Global Religious Futures (GRF) project is jointly funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and The John Templeton Foundation. Here are some big-picture findings from the GRF, together with context from other Pew Research Center studies.
28% of U.S. adults are religiously unaffiliated, describing themselves as atheists, agnostics or โnothing in particularโ when asked about their religion.
Overall, 70% of U.S. adults describe themselves as spiritual in some way, including 22% who are spiritual but not religious. An overwhelming majority of U.S. adults (83%) say they believe that people have a soul or spirit in addition to their physical body. And 81% say there is something spiritual beyond the natural world, even if we cannot see it.
The Christian share of the U.S. population is declining, while the share of Americans who do not identify with any organized religion is growing. These changes affect all regions in the country and many demographic groups.
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