If shifts among Protestant denominations are included, then it appears that 44 percent of Americans have switched religious affiliations.
Nearly half of us have changed denominations, I think that is amazing. It also finds that the number of people unaffiliated with any church has doubled in the last 25 years. In the 1980s about 8% of adults were unaffiliated.
In the Pew survey 7 percent of the adult population said they were unaffiliated with a faith as children. That segment increases to 16 percent of the population in adulthood, the survey found. The unaffiliated are largely under 50 and male. “Nearly one in five men say they have no formal religious affiliation, compared with roughly 13 percent of women,” the survey said.
I wonder why women find religion more rewarding than men? Do you suppose they value the social aspects of church membership more than do men?
The amateur sociologist in me finds these survey results very interesting. The rest of the article is worth your time too.
