---
title: "Evangelicals and Education"
description: "Nearly one-in-three (31%) US adults with less than a high school education are members of evangelical Protestant churches."
date: "2008-04-18"
authors:
  - name: "Russell Heimlich"
    job_title: "Former web developer"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/russell-heimlich/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2008/04/18/evangelicals-and-education/"
---

# Evangelicals and Education

Nearly one-in-three (31%) adults with less than a high school education are members of evangelical Protestant churches, while almost one-in-ten (9%) are members of historically black Protestant churches. Among people who have obtained a college degree, fewer than one-in-four (22%) belong to the evangelical tradition, and only 5% belong to historically black churches. The opposite pattern is seen among members of mainline Protestant churches. Nearly one-in-four adults (23%) with a post-graduate education are members of mainline churches, compared with only 11% of those with less than a high school education. People with less than a high school education are also somewhat more likely to be Catholic as compared with those with higher levels of education. Among the well-educated groups, the unaffiliated tend to be more secular–that is, non-religious–than is the case among the less well-educated. [Read More](https://www.pewresearch.org/pubs/743/united-states-religion)