Young American adults less likely to drop religious ties?
August 10, 2010
Young American adults are more likely to maintain their religious affiliation than their middle-aged counterparts of the “baby boom” generation, a new survey shows.
Philip Schwadel of the University of Nebraska, analyzing the survey results for the Journal of the Scientific Study of Religion, saw “good news for those who worry about declining religious adherence.”
That “good news” is at best mixed. The study found that the number of Americans reporting no religious affiliation, after growing from 6% to 8% in the 1970s and 1980s, soared to 16% in 2006. That trend may now level off, Schwadel says, as younger adults show less inclination to drop their religious affiliation. However, these younger adults are also less likely to have been raised in a specific religious background.
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