in their previous faith or feeling“ called” to a new one. In contrast, people who became religiously unaffiliated— often called“ nones”— are more likely to say they no longer believed the teachings of their childhood religion and simply drifted away over time. Religiously unaffiliated Americans now make up 29 % of U. S. adults. When asked why they do not identify with a religion, most“ nones” say they believe morality is possible without religion, question many religious teachings, and do not need religion in order to be spiritual. Roughly half also express distrust of religious leaders or dislike for religious institutions. A smaller number describe religion as harmful or say they remain open to belief in God or scripture without feeling the need to formally affiliate with a faith tradition. The report identifies childhood religious experiences as one of the strongest predictors of adult religious identity. Adults who describe their upbringing in religion as mostly positive overwhelmingly remain in their childhood faith as adults. By contrast, most people who had negative religious experiences growing up no longer identify with any religion. Household religio usness also matters. People raised in highly religious households are much more likely to retain their childhood religion than those raised in less religious homes. Political affiliation and age show strong correlations as well. Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are more likely than Democrats to remain in their childhood religion, while Democrats are more likely to become religiously unaffiliated. Older Americans also show much higher religious retention than younger adults. Nearly threequarters of adults ages 65 and older still identify with their childhood religion, compared with just over half of adults under 30. Retention rates vary considerably across faith groups. Hindus, Muslims, and Jews have some of the highest retention rates, while Catholics, Latterday Saints, and Buddhists experience substantially more switching. Many former Catholics and former Buddhists eventually become Protestant, though large numbers also become religiously unaffiliated. The study also examined people raised without religion. Most remain unaffiliated as adults, though about one-quarter eventually adopt a religion. Older adults raised as“ nones” are more likely than younger generations to have joined a religion later in life. Finally, the report finds that religious switching tends to happen early. About 85 % of Americans who changed religious identity did so before age 30, including nearly half who switched during childhood or adolescence. Those who become religiously unaffiliated generally leave religion earlier than people who switch from one religion to another or who later adopt religion after being raised without one. habits, and the quality of relationships with mothers and fathers. Adult outcomes included current church attendance, conversations about faith with one’ s own children, forgivingness, sense of belonging within a church community, and marital status. Researchers analyzed responses from 16,548 members of 32 Catholic and Protestant congregations across the United States. About 54 % of participants identified as Protestant, while 60 % were women. Participants answered questions about their upbringing, including whether their parents were married, how often faith was discussed at home, how frequently the family attended religious services, and how they viewed their relationships with their parents. The findings revealed several strong patterns. Adults who attended religious services more frequently as children were significantly more likely to attend services regularly later in life. Frequent faith conversations with parents emerged as the strongest predictor of adult religious outcomes. Participants who discussed faith regularly with their parents as children were more likely to attend church as adults, feel connected to their church communities, demonstrate greater forgiveness, and pass their faith on to their own children. Family structure also mattered. Participants whose biological parents were never married were less likely to discuss faith with their own children and less likely to be married themselves as adults. Interestingly, individuals whose parents divorced before they turned 18 reported somewhat higher levels of forgiveness. Researchers also identified differences between maternal and paternal religious influence. Frequent religious attendance by fathers was associated with higher adult church attendance among participants, while frequent attendance by mothers was linked to slightly lower adult attendance. In addition, participants who reported stronger relationships with their fathers tended to report greater forgiveness and a stronger sense of church belonging.
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Want your kids to keep their faith?.
New research says it’ s about conversation, not just church attendance By Vladimir Hedrih
PsyPost— A new study published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion suggests that childhood faith experiences— especially regular conversations about religion with parents— play a major role in shaping religious involvement later in life. Researchers analyzing data from Communio, a nonprofit focused on strengthening church-centered relationships and families, found that both religious engagement and family dynamics during childhood were strongly associated with adult religious participation and relational well-being. The study examined how seven childhood factors influenced five adult outcomes related to religion and relationships. Childhood variables included parental marital status, frequency of conversations about faith with parents, religious service attendance, parents’ attendance
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22 CHURCH EXECUTIVE | MAY 2026