Faith Study Reveals 70% of Americans Believe Nation’s ‘Moral Compass’ Pointed in Wrong Direction by KAIROS COMPANY for Charisma News
The Deseret News Faith in America Survey, conducted by The Marist College Poll, reveals a growing trend in the country: Americans retain core religious beliefs even as they are less attached to religious practices and institutions such as daily prayer and attending services. Furthermore, a substantial majority of Americans are deeply concerned over the country’s moral direction.
“While the state of religion is continually changing, our study found that the majority of Americans still hold core religious beliefs and draw moral guidance from their families and their faith traditions,” said Hal Boyd, executive editor of Deseret National. “The vast majority of Americans, 7 in 10, believe the country would be better off if we prayed for each other. And most Americans say the U.S. Constitution was inspired by God. Despite headlines that emphasize religion’s decline, faith remains a strong moral force in American life.”
Several highlights from the full survey, conducted Jan. 19-26 this year from 1,653 U.S. adults, include:
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Americans retain belief in the biblical God and embrace “spirituality,” even as they are less attached to religious practices and institutions.
— For example, 54% of Americans report they believe in God as described in the Bible—this includes 86% of all those who practice a religion and 1 in 3 (33%) individuals who report they do not practice a religion.
— About 7 in 10 Americans (71%) consider themselves spiritual, regardless of whether they practice religion or not.
— Only 40% of adults report attending a religious service at least once or twice a month. This is a noticeable decline from an April 2011 Marist Poll which revealed that 52% of Americans attended religious services at least once or twice a month.
— Attendance at religious services is also influenced by age: Americans 60 or older (43%) are the most likely to attend services at least weekly. This practice decreases significantly with younger Americans: 45-59 (27%), 30-44 (25%) and 18-29 (21%).
