Millennials and Religious Affiliation

In addition to their reputation as industry disruptors, millennials have had quite an impact on religious life in America. 4 in 10 Millennials now claim to be religiously unaffiliated. This has been a continuous trend of the millennial generation for some time now, however it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Many assumed that as millennials aged, they would eventually return to a more traditional lifestyle, particularly involving church attendance. However, many millennials at this point have already established families and begun to settle down. There does not seem to be a return to the church occurring and many millennials seem to be leaving the church for good. A large portion of this is simply the fallout of the previous generation not giving structure to their religious beliefs and simply not encouraging their children to follow in their faith. Even millennials who were raised with both parents claiming affiliation to the same religion are leaving their faith permanently later in life. There does not seem to be one source of this unfortunate trend.

There are many positive social outcomes of religious involvement, including increased civic engagement and willingness to donate to various causes. Furthermore, the increase in departure from religion seems to be heavily tied to political affiliation. The ideas of religion have become increasingly tied to the republican political party, a connection that is likely causing significant harm to various faiths. Studies have also shown that those on the conservative end of the political spectrum are far more likely to return to religion later in life than their more liberal counterparts. Although the trends indicate a continued departure, the fate of religion in America is not yet set in stone. However, the recent trends have done nothing to help the increasing divide between secular and religious America.