Declining Belief in Religiosity’s Positive Impact

According to a recent Gallup poll, fewer Americans believe that a more religious society would be better compared to 13 years ago. The percentage of adults who think that increased religiosity would positively affect the U.S. has dropped from 75% in 2013 to 65% today. This shift appears to be largely driven by notable decreases in this belief among women and younger Americans.

Specifically, the conviction among women that a more religious populace benefits society fell by 16% over this period, while the decline among men was only about 3%. Back in 2013, a larger proportion of women—77%—thought that more religiosity was advantageous, compared to 73% of men. Presently, though, more men (70%) see religion as beneficial compared to women (61%).

Beliefs among younger adults also saw a significant decline, with 49% of those aged 18 to 34 in 2026 affirming the positive effects of increased religiosity, down from 65% in 2013. For those aged 35 to 54, the belief also dropped notably from 80% to 66% during the same timeframe.

Interestingly, Republicans displayed the opposite trend, with their belief in the positive societal impact of religion increasing from 91% to 94%. However, Democrats and independents reported declines, as the percentage of Democrats believing in the benefits of more religious individuals fell from 67% to 51%, and independents from 71% to 59%.

In a divergence from the overall trend, Catholics showed a rise in their belief that increased religiosity is beneficial. This group saw an increase from 80% to 85% between 2013 and 2026. Meanwhile, American Protestants and nondenominational Christians experienced a decline in this belief, dropping from 88% to 81%.

The Gallup poll surveyed 1,001 randomly selected adults across all 50 states and Washington, DC, between May 1 and May 17. The survey was conducted via telephone and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.