majority have reported volunteering for secular groups. Higher-income, older and more educated adults remain the most likely to donate or volunteer.
Why
Do Some Americans Leave Their Religion While Others Stay?
Study shows most Americans who leave their childhood religion do so by age 30
By Becka A. Alper, Patricia Tevington, Asta Kallo and Jeff Diamant
Volunteerism has recovered from Pandemic low
By Megan Brenan / GALLUP
GALLUP / WASHINGTON, D. C.— Most Americans continue to support charitable causes, with 76 % reporting they donated money to a religious or other nonprofit organization in the past year and 63 % saying they volunteered their time. Another 17 % say they donated blood during the past 12 months. The findings come from a Dec. 1 – 15, 2025 poll conducted by Gallup, which has tracked Americans’ charitable behavior since 2001. Gallup notes that surveys conducted in December often produce higher estimates of charitable activity than those taken at other times of the year. Compared with 2021, financial giving dipped slightly— down five percentage points— while volunteering increased by seven points, suggesting more Americans may be contributing time rather than money. Recent trends also show differences in how Americans support religious versus secular organizations. About 41 % of U. S. adults say they donated money to a religious organization in 2025, the lowest level recorded in Gallup’ s tracking and down 21 points since 2001. Volunteering with religious organizations has been more stable, rising four points since 2021 to 39 %. Meanwhile, 69 % of Americans say they donated to non-religious organizations, and 55 % report volunteering for them— the first time a
PEW RESEARCH CENTER— A new Pew Research Center analysis finds that religious identity in the U. S. remains relatively stable for most Americans, but a significant minority— 35 %— have left the religion in which they were raised. By contrast, 56 % still identify with their childhood religion, while 9 % were raised without a religion and remain unaffiliated today. The report combines findings from Pew’ s 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study and a 2025 follow-up survey exploring why Americans stay in, leave, or reject religion altogether. Among adults who have remained in their childhood religion, belief and personal meaning are the strongest motivators. Nearly two-thirds say they continue in their faith because they believe its teachings, while many also cite spiritual fulfillment and a sense of purpose. Community, familiarity, tradition, and agreement with religious teachings on social or political issues rank as secondary factors. The reasons differ somewhat by religious tradition. Lifelong Protestants are especially likely to cite belief in doctrine and spiritual fulfillment. Catholics who remain Catholic most often mention spiritual needs, belief in church teachings, and life meaning. Jewish respondents, however, are more likely to emphasize tradition, community, family identity, and familiarity than doctrinal belief alone. For Americans who have left their childhood religion, the most common explanation is a loss of belief. Nearly half say they stopped believing their religion’ s teachings, while many also say religion was not important in their lives or that they gradually drifted away. Around onethird point to disagreements with teachings on social or political issues or scandals involving clergy and religious leaders. The study also highlights important differences between people who leave religion entirely and those who switch to another faith. Those who adopted a different religion often describe feeling spiritually unfulfilled
20 CHURCH EXECUTIVE | MAY 2026