Religion Among the Millennials
By some key measures, Americans ages 18 to 29 are considerably less religious than older Americans. Fewer Millennials, or those born after 1980, belong to any particular faith than older people do today. They also are less likely to be affiliated than their parents' and grandparents' generations were when they were young.
The study finds that while Millenials rate religion less important and attend services less often than older Americans, their beliefs about heaven, hell and miracles closely resemble the beliefs of older people today. Ultimately, the data suggests that some of the religious differences between younger and older Americans today are not entirely generational but result in part from people's tendency to place greater emphasis on religion as they age.
The report includes comparisons of generational views on evolution, homosexuality, the entertainment industry and government efforts to protect morality. The study, which was produced by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, is part of a series of reports exploring the attitudes and behaviors of the Millennial generation.
