Being religious is different from being spiritual. There has been a trend worldwide where more people indicate they are spiritual but not religious. While the term ‘spiritual’ has specific connotations in Eastern culture, spirituality in the West, particularly in the U.S., usually means a connection to something greater than oneself. In contrast, in Eastern cultures, spirituality is synonymous with seeking vs believing – which is the primary definition of religious belief. In the past few decades, irrespective of immigration from the East to the West, public opinion on whether a person is religious or spiritual has been changing fast. This shift is an interesting finding and trend, as religion is one of the more robust demographic and in-group identifiers. The steady trend of seeking a higher purpose rather than believing what religious doctrines say is essential to pay attention to. Two particular studies which have measured spirituality and religiosity trends are discussed here.
The national survey of 2,016 American adults 2017 shows the “Spiritual but not Religious” trend in the United States. The survey (Rainey et al., 2023) examined how spirituality and religiosity correlate with satisfaction in various areas: personal health, family life, relationships with friends, local community quality of life, and overall country satisfaction. Spirituality, gauged by self-reported experiences of connection to something larger than oneself, and religiosity, measured by the frequency of religious attendance and the personal importance of religion, are explored. The findings reveal that 29% of Americans identify as spiritual and religious, 18% as spiritual but not religious, 22% as not spiritual but religious, and 31% as neither spiritual nor religious. Within the category of religiously unaffiliated Americans, approximately three in ten (29%) can be classified as spiritual but not religious. In contrast, two-thirds (65%) are neither spiritual nor religious, five percent are not spiritual but religious, and one percent are spiritual and religious.
Amongst those surveyed, nonreligious Americans, including those who are spiritual but not religious, tend to be younger than religious Americans. Most individuals who are spiritual but not religious (56%) or neither spiritual nor religious (62%) are under 50. In contrast, fewer individuals who are not spiritual but religious (50%) or both spiritual and religious (46%) are in the same age group.
Educationally, spiritual but not religious Americans have higher levels of academic achievement, with 40% holding a four-year university degree, including 17% with post-graduate education. This trend is higher than that of other groups, such as Americans who are spiritual and religious (39%), neither spiritual nor religious (30%), and those not spiritual but religious (24%).
Politically, spiritual but not religious Americans lean more liberal (40%) than the general population (24%). While they often avoid partisan labels (44% identify as politically independent), they are more than twice as likely to identify as Democrats rather than Republicans (36% vs. 16%). The survey indicates a positive correlation between higher spirituality and increased life satisfaction. More than six in ten spiritual but not religious Americans (61%) and seven in ten spiritual and religious Americans (70%) report high satisfaction with their overall life. In contrast, about half of those not spiritual but religious (53%) or neither spiritual nor religious (47%) express similar satisfaction levels.
The religious vs. spiritual aspects were measured by a Gallup poll conducted in July 2023, which surveyed 1015 adults in the United States. The survey (Jones, 2023) revisited self-identification as a religious or spiritual question posed in 1999 and 2002. In total, 82% of Americans hold some form of spiritual belief, a decrease from 90% in 1999 and 87% in 2002. This decline aligns with broader trends in religiosity and religious engagement measures over the past two decades. Lesser declines are observed in formal religious practices, such as church attendance and membership, than in belief in God and prayer.
Findings reveal that 47% of Americans identify as religious, 33% as spiritual but not religious, and 2% as both; the remaining 18% claim neither religious nor spiritual, twice the proportion measured in 1999. The overall percentage of Americans with a spiritual belief system has decreased from 90% in 1999 to 82% in 2023. The decline in religious identification aligns with broader trends in Gallup’s measures of religiosity, with steeper declines observed in formal religious practices compared to belief in God and prayer.
The analysis of religious or spiritual beliefs in the United States reveals notable variations by party identification and age. Among party groups, Republicans are most likely to identify as religious (61%), while Democrats are about equally likely to be spiritual (41%) as religious (37%). Independents lean more toward being religious (44%) than spiritual (32%). A significant 21% of both Democrats and independents claim to be neither religious nor spiritual, compared to only 8% of Republicans.
Regarding age, the oldest Americans (aged 65 and older) are most likely to identify as religious (57%), while young adults are more inclined to say they are neither religious nor spiritual (26%). In 1999, Democrats and Republicans were equally likely to identify as religious, but since then, religious identification among Democrats has decreased by 23 points. Meanwhile, there has been little change in Republicans’ self-identification as religious or spiritual over the same period. Independents have become slightly less likely to identify as spiritual and slightly more likely to claim they are neither religious nor spiritual in the past two decades. Over the years, Americans across all age groups are less likely to identify as religious, with declines ranging from five to 13 percentage points since 1999. Simultaneously, there is an increase in the percentage of Americans in all age groups describing themselves as neither religious nor spiritual.
In conclusion, the survey reflects a shifting landscape of spiritual and religious beliefs in the United States. Currently, a substantial majority of Americans (82%) identify as religious, spiritual, or both, although the proportion has declined from 90% in 1999. Additionally, the percentage identifying as religious has experienced a significant decrease from 54% in 1999. Notably, the percentage stating they are neither spiritual nor religious has doubled from 9% in 1999 to 18% today. The shift away from religious identification is a trend that is more pronounced among young adults. These findings reinforce the evolving nature of Americans’ spiritual and religious affiliations over the past two decades and provide a glimpse into what the future of religious and spiritual landscape will look like in the coming decades.
References:
Raney, A., Cox, D., Jones, R. (2023). “Searching for Spirituality in the U.S.: A New Look at the Spiritual but Not Religious.” https://www.prri.org/press-release/new-survey-one-five-americans-spiritual-not-religious/
Jones, J. (2023). “In U.S., 47% Identify as Religious, 33% as Spiritual.” https://news.gallup.com/poll/511133/identify-religious-spiritual.aspx
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