Home
/
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
/
From Sunday Stalwarts to the Solidly Secular, the strange mix of American religious groups
From Sunday Stalwarts to the Solidly Secular, the strange mix of American religious groups
Dec 9, 2025 7:26 PM

In America, we have a problem with religious labels: they no longer fit.

As a devout evangelical, I always cringe when I hear the label used—mostly for political purposes—to include a range of heretics, political grifters, and nominal Christians who haven’t been to church in decades. But I also tire of hearing the term “nones” used as a synonym for atheists. The reality is that most people in Western Europe consider themselves to be “Christians,” they are less religious than “nones” are in America.

We need new terms to describe our various religious groupings. Fortunately, the Pew Research Center has attempted to create just such a labeling structure.

A new Pew Research analysis looks at beliefs and behaviors that cut across many denominations producing a new and revealing classification, or typology, of religion in America. The new typology sorts Americans into seven groups based on the religious and spiritual beliefs they share, how actively they practice their faith, the value they place on their religion, and the other sources of meaning and fulfillment in their lives.

The groupings, from most to least religious, are:

Sunday Stalwarts — This is the most religious of the seven typology groups. Sunday Stalwarts attend religious services weekly (82 percent), pray daily (84 percent), and participate in church groups (100 percent). They are also the most likely to believe in God as described in the Bible (94 percent) and believe in heaven and hell (97 and 91 percent, respectively). They are mostly Republicans (59 percent).

God-and-Country ­­­— This group prised of believers who are less active in church groups or other religious organizations, but still hold many traditional religious beliefs and tilt right on social and political issues. About a quarter attend religious service (27 percent) but almost none participate in church groups (less than 1 percent). They mostly believe in God as described in the Bible (91 percent) and say that believing in God is necessary to be moral. They aren’t as likely as Sunday Stalwarts to find much meaning and fulfillment in their religious faith (only 67 percent say it provides them a “great pared to 87 percent of Stalwarts). Oddly, almost 3 in 10 (29 percent) also hold some New Age beliefs. They are also mostly Republicans (59 percent).

Diversely Devout — This group is diverse both in demographics (a relatively large share are racial and ethnic minorities) and in their beliefs. This is the only group in which most people say they believe in God as described in the Bible (87 percent) and that they believe in psychics, reincarnation, and that spiritual energy can be located in physical things like mountains, trees, or crystals (95 percent). Only 12 percent of this group attend religious services weekly. They are split between Republicans (43 percent) and Democrats (49 percent).

Relaxed Religious —This group says they believe in the God of the Bible (68 percent), and almost four-in-ten (39 percent) pray daily. But relatively few attend religious services (17 percent) or participate in church groups (2 percent). Politically, e the closest to being evenly split between Republicans (45 percent) and Democrats (52 percent).

Spiritually Awake — Almost all hold at least some New Age beliefs (99 percent) and believe in heaven (98 percent). But only half (50 percent) believe in God as described in the Bible and relatively few attend religious services on a weekly basis (8 percent). They are mostly Democrats (59 percent).

Religion Resisters — This group largely considers itself spiritual (68 percent) but not religious (3 percent). They don’t go to church (only 2 percent attend weekly) or participate in religious groups (2 percent). But they almost all hold at least some New Age beliefs (98 percent) and are the most likely group to find meaning and fulfillment in being outdoors and experiencing nature (64 percent). They are overwhelmingly Democrats (78 percent).

Solidly Secular — This is the least religious of the seven groups. These relatively affluent, highly educated U.S. adults—almost all white (79 percent) and male (65 percent)—tend to describe themselves as neither religious (3 percent) nor spiritual (22 percent). They don’t believe in either the God as described in the Bible (1 percent) or hold New Age beliefs (less than 1 percent). They are predominantly Democrats (71 percent).

Take the religious typology quiz to learn which of the types is your best match.

Comments
Welcome to mreligion comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
How Religion Is Portrayed In Video Games
Danny O’Dwyer of Gamespot has created an interesting video on religion in video games. As a self-described atheist, he examines the reasons why video games “haven’t reached the point where Islam can be portrayed without a suicide bomb.” The video also looks at various instances of religion in existing games and includes an interview with his Muslim friend Tamoor who works in the game journalism industry. You can watch his 15 minute video below. Danny’s article over at Gamespot has...
Student Debt and Moral Responsibility
The Obama administration has placed a high priority on making higher education affordable. In January, President Obama spoke to students at the University of Michigan about steering American colleges and universities towards more “responsible” tuition costs. It’s an admirable goal. According to the College Board, from the 2001-2012 school years, college tuition and costs at public universities increased at 5.6 percent a year more than the cost of inflation. For the 15 percent of consumers responsible for it, college debt...
‘I’m Rich and You’re Not. So There.’
Scientific American has announced that rich people aren’t nice. In fact, they are passionate, more unfair and greedier than poor people. These allegations are based on the findings of two Berkeley psychologists, Paul Piff and Dacher Keltner. There were a number of studies involved, and some significant problems are evident. For instance, Scientific American reports that factors “we know passionate feelings, such as gender [and] ethnicity” were controlled. However, there is no explanation as to how gender or ethnicity passion....
The Best Hope for Our Children’s Education
Steven Garber, principal and founder of The Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation and Culture, believes that what kind of school our children attend is far less important than what kind of people they are shaped into: [W]here they go to school is not finally the most important decision; how they learn and who they e with what they learn is more critical. As I long argued at Rivendell—remembering the moral vision of Tolkien himself—it is not only important that our...
Event: Economic Freedom and the State
Michael Miller, a Research Fellow and Director of Media at the Acton Institute, will be participating in an economy panel discussion held on April 17th at 7pm in the Wege Ballroom of Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Mich.The focus of the discussion will be economic freedom and the proper role of the state and the individual in creating and preserving conditions necessary for human flourishing and prosperity. As Lord Acton stated, “liberty is the delicate fruit of a mature civilization.”...
Hope and The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games may lack a single reference to religion or God, but as Jordan J. Ballor and Todd Steen point out in an article for First Things, the books and film presents a secularized alternative to the Christian virtue of hope: The only hope that the residents of Panem have is in themselves. The best they can hope for is that perhaps someone might repay a good deed with one in return. As readers of the novel or viewers...
Audio: Victor Claar on Envy
Victor Claar at Acton On Tap If you weren’t able to join us at Derby Station in East Grand Rapids last night for Acton On Tap, you missed a great discussion on the topic of Envy: Socialism’s Deadly Sin with Dr. Victor Claar of Henderson State University. Acton’s own Dr. Jordan Ballor opened the evening’s conversation with some theological reflections on the nature of envy, with Claar following up with his discussion of envy from an economic perspective. Again, if...
Video: Eric Metaxas on Bonhoeffer, the Church and Politics
Eric Metaxas, author of the recently published biography Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, sat down with the Alliance Defense Fund to speak on the role of the church in public policy and how Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s example is especially relevant today. Metaxas, also the author of a biography on William Wilberforce, is slated to deliver a lecture at Acton University on June 14 and the keynote address at the Acton Institute’s Annual Dinner on October 24th. Click on the links to...
Bubba’s Vocation is Golf, But His First Priority is the Gospel
On Sunday Bubba Watson, one of the most untraditional golfers on the PGA Tour, was the surprise winner of the 2012 Masters Tournament. But while golf may be his vocation, it isn’t Watson’s top priority. What he considers most important can be gleaned from the description on his Twitter account:”@bubbawatson: Christian. Husband. Daddy. Pro Golfer. Owner of General Lee 1.” Among the 39,000-plus messages he’s sent into the Twittersphere, he’s sure to spread the Gospel message: God made everything &...
Commentary: The Left Resumes Its War on History
Did you know Che Guevara was at heart an Irish freedom fighter? In this week’s Acton Commentary (published April 11), Samuel Gregg looks at how the left “has been remarkably successful in distorting people’s knowledge of Communism’s track-record.” The full text of his essay follows. Subscribe to the free, weekly Acton News & Commentary and other publications here. The Left Resumes Its War on History bySamuel Gregg What does an Argentine-born Cuban Communist revolutionary executed in the Bolivian jungle 45...
Related Classification
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.mreligion.com All Rights Reserved