The United States has long been a majority-Christian country, but it is by no means religiously static. In 2007, Pew Research found the religiously unaffiliated to be the second-largest religious group in the country, at 16 percent of the population.
As of 2014, the religiously unaffiliated now make up 22 percent of the American population, according to the new American Values Atlas from Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI).
"The U.S. religious landscape is undergoing a dramatic transformation that is fundamentally reshaping American politics and culture," PRRI researcher Dan Cox told The Huffington Post.
Though the U.S. is still a Christian-majority country, Cox mused, how much longer will it remain so and what might be on the horizon?
Here are 9 facts that show some ways in which the American religious landscape is shifting:
More Than One Faith
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16 percent of Americans report following the teachings or practices of more than one religion.(Based on PRRI's annual
American Values Survey, Oct. 2013.)
Religiously Unaffiliated By State
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The religiously unaffiliated represents the largest or one of multiple largest self-identified groups in 23 states.(Based on PRRI's
American Values Atlas, 2014.)
Religiously Unaffiliated By State, Round Two
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There are 15 states where unaffiliated makes up the second-largest religious group.(Based on PRRI's
American Values Atlas, 2014.)
Interfaith Marriage
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24 percent of Americans who are married say their spouse has a different religious background than their own.(Based on PRRI's annual
American Values Survey, Oct. 2013.)
Religiously Unaffiliated By Age Group
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34 percent of Americans age 18 to 29 are religiously unaffiliated.(Based on PRRI's
American Values Atlas, 2014.)
Same-Sex Marriage
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45 percent of white evangelical Protestants age 18 to 29 favor allowing same-sex marriage.(Based on PRRI's
American Values Atlas, 2014.)
Population Of White Christians
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There are now 19 states where the white Christian population is a minority.(Based on PRRI's
American Values Atlas, 2014.)
Religiously Unaffiliated By Race
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38 percent of young white Americans are religiously unaffiliated. 39 percent of young Asian Americans, 23 percent of young African-Americans and 27 percent of young Hispanics are religiously unaffiliated.(Based on PRRI's
American Values Atlas, 2014.)
Other Religious Groups Growing
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In addition to the unaffiliated, other religious groups continue growing. Buddhists, Muslims and Hindus each make up one percent of the population -- more than they did at the time of Pew's 2007 report.(Based on PRRI's
American Values Atlas, 2014.)
CORRECTION: This post previously stated that a majority of people in 23 states were religiously unaffiliated. In fact, the religiously unaffiliated are simply the largest group in those 23 states.
