Older Millennials, younger Gen Xers and those living in the American West are driving the surge of Americans who identify as “religiously unaffiliated,” according to the latest census of religious diversity in the U.S.
he new data show that the number of white Christian Americans continues to shrink while the ranks of the unaffiliated swell in a historic shift in attitudes toward religion.
Every age group has seen declines in religious affiliation during the past decade, but the largest jumps are among Americans ages 30 to 49 — older millennials and younger Gen Xers, the data from the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute show.
The percentage of Americans identifying as white Christians has declined from 57% to 41% since 2006, but they remain dominant in setting public policy and are overrepresented in Congress, especially among Republicans.
Religiously unaffiliated Americans are primarily concentrated in the western United States, from New Mexico — long a stronghold of Hispanic Catholics — to Washington State, the census found.
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