The percentage of the population that has no religious identity may be increasing, but a new Gallup report says such an anti-religion worldview is primarily embraced by younger people – and that as people age, they are more likely to get back in church.
“Predictions of the forthcoming demise of religion as we know it may be premature,” Gallup’s Frank Newport wrote in the new report.
The report notes that between 20 and 25 percent of U.S. adults are now identified as “Nones,” meaning they answer “none” in surveys when asked about their religious identification.
But “despite this overall increase of nones,” Newport wrote, “older people are still less likely to eschew religion than those who are younger.” This is even true among people in their 30s compared to those in their 20s.
Newport referenced a recent Washington Post story – “Why Millennials Are Skipping Church and Not Going Back” – and argued the picture is more complex.
“There are signs that older millennials may in fact, contrary to the headline, be going back to religion,” Newport wrote. “… Older millennials are more likely than younger millennials to have a religious identity, and older millennials are more likely than younger millennials to say they attend religious services frequently.”
About 38 percent of adults in their mid-20s identify as…
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