Our Place

In the World of Religion

Williamsburg Unitarian Universalists:

Adult Lifespan Faith Development
“Our Place in the World of Religion” (2008)
IDENTIFICATION WITH
MAJOR RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS IN THE U.S.
(expressed as % of U.S. adult population: ~ 228 Million)

Christian
Other Religions
Unaffiliated
IDENTIFICATION WITH RELIGIOUSLY “CHRISTIAN”
SEGMENT OF U.S. ADULT POPULATION

CHRISTIAN (78.4%)
Protestant 51.3
Evangelical Churches 26.3
Mainline Churches 18.1
Hist. Black Churches 6.9
Catholic 23.9
Mormon 1.7
Jehovah’s Witness 0.7
Orthodox 0.6
Other Christian 0.3
IDENTIFICATION WITH RELIGIOUSLY “OTHER”
SEGMENT OF U.S. ADULT POPULATION

OTHER RELIGIONS (4.7%)

Jewish 1.7

Buddhist 0.7

Muslim 0.6

Hindu 0.4

Other World Religions <0.3

Other Faiths* 1.2

* includes UUs at ~ .3)
IDENTIFICATION WITH RELIGIOUSLY “UNAFFILIATED”
SEGMENT OF U.S. ADULT POPULATION

UNAFFILIATED (16.9%)

Atheist 1.6

Agnostic 2.4

Secular Unaffiliated 6.3

Religious Unaffiliated 5.8

Don’t Know/Refused Categ. .8

IDENTIFICATION WITH WORLD RELIGIONS
RANKED BY NUMBER OF ADHERENTS

RELIGION/SECT/ ADHERENTS RELIGION/SECT/ ADHERENTS

BELIEF SYSTEM (est.) BELIEF SYSTEM (est.)
Christianity 2 billion Jehovah’s
6.5 million
Islam 1.3 billion Witnesses

Atheism (includes Confucianism 5-6 million

1.1 billion
agnostic & nonrelig.)
New Age 5 million
Hinduism 900 million
Buddhism 360 million Wicca 1-3 million
Judaism 14 million Unitarian
635,000
Mormonism (LDS) 12.2 million Universalism
Seventh Day 150,000 –
10 million Christian Science
Adventist 400,000
DYNAMICS of IDENTIFICATION
WITH CATHOLIC CHURCH

24% Catholic share of U.S. adults, holding steady for thirty years

31/% U.S. adults identifying itself as raised Catholic

11% U.S. adults leaving Catholic Church since childhood
U.S. adults joining Catholic Church over same period, partially
4%
offsetting departures

46% Immigrants entering the U.S. identifying themselves as Catholic,

accounting for most of the above 4% intake

23% Catholics who identify themselves as immigrants

IDENTIFICATION WITH RELIGIOUSLY “UNAFFILIATED”
SEGMENT OF U.S. ADULT POPULATION

UNAFFILIATED (16.9%)

Atheist 1.6

Agnostic 2.4

Secular Unaffiliated 6.3

Religious Unaffiliated 5.8

Don’t Know/Refused Categ. .8

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM AS
PERCENTAGE OF U.S. POPULATION

2001 2008 GROWTH

U.S.
POPULATION
285 million 303 million 18 million / 6%

UNITARIAN
UNIVERSALISM
218,000 221,000 3,000 / 1.3%
PARTICIPATION LEVELS IN
SELECTED RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS (U.S.)

LOW PARTICIPATION FACTOR HIGH

Importance of Religious Beliefs

Relevance of Religion to Right and

Wrong Evangelical
Mainline Protestant
Attendance at Worship Historically Black
Jewish Services
Churches
Buddhist Prayer/Meditation Practice
Mormon
Church Activities Outside Worship
Unaffiliated
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Membership as a % of Those Who
Identify with a Religious
Tradition
PARTICIPATION LEVELS IN
SELECTED RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS (U.S.)

PARTICIPATION
LOW HIGH
FACTOR
Historically Black
Jewish (55%)
Churches (83%)

Buddhist (30%) Membership as a Mormon (92%)

Percentage of
those who Identify Jehovah’s
Unaffiliated (22%) with a Religious Witnesses (76%)
Tradition.
Unitarian
Evangelist (74%)
Universalist (35%)
PARTICIPATION LEVELS IN RELIGION
(WORLDWIDE)
(by developmental classification of societies)

Post-
Agrarian Industrial
Industrial

Church
49% 25% 22%
Attendance
Religious
64% 34% 26%
Values
Prayer
52% 34% 20%
Practice
PARTICIPATION TRENDS IN RELIGION
OUTSIDE THE U.S.
(by % of adult population)

100
90
80
70
60 1970
50
40 1998
30
20
10
0

Italy
France Britain
Ireland
Belgium Germany
Netherlands
PARTICIPATION TRENDS IN RELIGION IN THE U.S.
(by % of adult population)

35
30
25
20 Attend Weekly
or More
15 Never Attend
10
5
0
1972 2002
FUTURE TREND SHOWN IN CORRELATIONS
BETWEEN AGE AND RELIGIOUS IDENTIFICATION (U.S.)

100
87.5
80 75

60

40 affiliated
25 unaffiliated
20
12.5
0
18-29
30 & Over
FUTURE TREND SHOWN IN CORRELATIONS
BETWEEN AGE AND RELIGIOUS PARTICIPATION (U.S.)

PARTICIPATION
LOW HIGH
FACTOR

Importance of
18-29 65+
Religious Beliefs

Attendance at
18-29 65+
Worship Services

18-29 Prayer Practice 65+

FUTURE TRENDS SHOWN IN CORRELATIONS
BETWEEN AGE AND RELIGIOUS PARTICIPATION
(WORLDWIDE)

AGRARIAN INDUSTRIAL POST

INDUSTRIAL

< 30 49 22 15

30-59 47 23 21

60 + 47 29 35
PARTICIPATION LEVELS IN
SELECTED RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS (U.S.)

LOW PARTICIPATION FACTOR HIGH

Importance of Religious Beliefs

Relevance of Religion to Right and

Wrong Evangelical
Mainline Protestant
Attendance at Worship Historically Black
Jewish Services
Churches
Buddhist Prayer/Meditation Practice
Mormon
Church Activities Outside Worship
Unaffiliated
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Membership as a % of Those Who
Identify with a Religious
Tradition
Sources
 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, U.S. Religious Landscape
Survey (2007-2008),
 U.S. population data from U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of
the United States (population report 2006; 2008 data based on U.S.
Census Bureau projections)
 The Big Religion Chart from ReligionFacts (http://www.religionfacts
.com/big_religion_chart.htm)
 Unitarian Universalist data from UUA membership reports and
Commission on Appraisal, Engaging Our Theological Diversity, pp. 34-
35 (2005).
 Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart, Sacred and Secular (Cambridge
University Press 2004)
Learn More

Williamsburg Unitarian Universalists

http://www.wuu.org