If recent trends in religious switching continue, Christians could make up less than half of the U.S. population within a few decades. Pew Research Center set out to answer the question: What might the religious makeup of the United States look like 50 years from now if recent trends continue? They took a mathematical and demographic approach to the question, focused on data from surveys on religion. They also looked at “switching,” which deals with voluntary movement into and out of religious groups.
Where are people switching to and from?
What trends are there in why people “switch” religious affiliations?
When are people making a “switch?”
All of these questions (and more) are addressed in this report. Obviously, there are so many other factors happening behind each person who decides to leave a religious affiliation, but that data here provides a helpful look into the mind and life of someone “switching.”