Trends in Attitudes Toward Religion and Social Issues: 1987-2007
The study of the public’s political values and attitudes by the
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press — the most recent
in a series of such reports dating back to 1987 conducted Dec.
12, 2006-Jan. 9, 2007 — finds a reversal of increased
religiosity observed in the mid-1990s. While most Americans
remain religious in both belief and practice, the percentage
expressing strong religious beliefs has edged down since the
1990s. And the survey finds an increase in the relatively small
percentage of the public that can be categorized as secular. In
Pew surveys since the beginning of 2006, 12% identified
themselves as unaffiliated with a religious tradition. That
compares with 8% in the Pew values survey in 1987. This change
appears to be generational in nature, with each new generation
displaying lower levels of religious commitment than the
preceding one. In addition, political differences in levels of
religious commitment are larger now than