Median in-person worship attendance in U.S. congregations has increased for the first time in a quarter century as post-pandemic church shows signs of rebounding, according to a new study by Hartford Institute for Religion Research. “What we’re seeing is not…
What’s the real story with Gen Z and religion today?
Last week, we released the latest PRRI Census of American Religion. Our 2025 data show religious affiliation in the United States has remained largely unchanged since 2024, with 28% of Americans identifying as religiously unaffiliated. Church attendance also has not increased….
“I Go to Church a Little Bit”
A couple of months ago, I wrote a post about folks who report that they attend religious services multiple times a week. They make up about 6–8% of the country, and they are a qualitatively different group than people who…
The health case for church attendance
The most common argument for religion in modern times is a utilitarian one: People are social animals who need religion and mediating institutions for a happy and healthy social organization. For better or worse, the moral cause and classical arguments…
Study: Gen Z Now Leads in Church Attendance
Churchgoers between the ages of 18 and 28 attend church more frequently than their older siblings, parents, or grandparents. A new study, part of the State of the Church research initiative from Barna Group and Gloo, found a post-pandemic surge…
Do Non-Religious People Actually Hate Religion?
To me, there’s always been a pretty big blind spot when it comes to the study of non-religion in the United States. There are plenty of survey questions that ask about religious attendance and belief in God. However, there are very…
Church membership may be declining, but many churchgoers are double-dosing
After Becky Hope left the evangelical church she had been attending in Portland, Oregon, four years ago, she began watching online services at an ecumenical church in New York City — just for a little while, she figured, until she…
In England and Wales, a ‘quiet revival’ is boosting faith
In 1800, 15-year-old Mary Jones hiked 26 miles across the harsh terrain of Northern Wales to purchase a Welsh Bible. Her journey inspired William Wilberforce and his band of social reformers to create what would become the Bible Society, a…
Who are filling up the pews? Highly educated parents.
It’s something that I’ve noted before, but let me mention this again – the United States Census Bureau has launched a new survey that is not just about counting people. It’s focused on other types of questions like religion! And…
Should I force my child to go to church?
In my years of serving as a pastor to students and their families, I’ve heard the following question phrased in a few different ways: Should I force my child to go to church if they don’t want to? In the…
God and a woman
In Sisters and Saints: Women in American Religion, Harvard religion professor Ann Braude writes: An old saying among members of African American churches can be applied to most religious groups in the United States: “Women are the backbone of the…
Attending church — even liberal ones — makes Americans more conservative, Ryan Burge shows
Regular attendance at church — almost any church, even the liberal ones — makes people more conservative, Ryan Burge, an analyst of religion and politics, reported. In a recent post on his Substack column, “Graphs About Religion,” Burge demonstrated the…