Spirit Research

Pew finds US religion stable but mixed signals among young adults

A Pew Research Center analysis found that religious identification and practice in the United States have remained relatively steady since 2020, while young adults show mixed patterns, the Christian Post reports. The findings follow a prolonged decline in religious engagement.

According to the Pew-Knight analysis, 41% of adults ages 18 to 22 reported attending religious services once or twice a month or more, versus 33% of US adults overall. For adults ages 23 to 26, the figure was 27%.

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Young adults differ across religious measures#

The youngest adults stood out for attendance, but not as much for daily prayer or the importance they placed on religion, Pew senior researcher Chip Rotolo told the Deseret News. Rotolo, an author of the analysis, described the findings as mixed signals about how young adults express faith.

Adults ages 23 to 26 ranked lowest among age groups on prayer frequency, religious identification and the importance of religion in their lives, the Christian Post reports. Their monthly attendance was also among the lowest of any age group in the analysis.

The Pew-Knight analysis found no greater religiosity among today's 18- to 22-year-olds than among their peers in 2014. Both young adult groups were significantly less religious than their counterparts in 2007, according to the Christian Post.

National measures have changed little#

In 2026, 70% of American adults identified with a religion, compared with 71% in 2020, Christianity Daily reports. The share was 83% in 2007 and 77% in 2014. Daily prayer stood at 47% in 2026, down from 48% in 2020.

The analysis drew on Pew's 2026 National Public Opinion Reference Survey and its 2025 Cross-Sectional Engagement Survey, the Christian Post reports. Researchers compared those results with earlier surveys, including studies from 2007, 2014 and 2023-24.

Polling a narrow age group can be difficult, political scientist Ryan Burge told the Deseret News. Pew noted that findings may be biased if surveys do not reach a representative mix of young adults. Researchers said they cannot know whether today's youngest adults will follow earlier patterns as they age.

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