More than 8 out of 10 Americans identify with a Christian faith

The latest Gallup poll and reporter Frank Newport recently analyzed the current percentage of Americans today identify with a Christian religion.About 82% of Americans in 2007 told Gallup interviewers that they identified with a Christian religion. Neport breaks it down: "51% who said they were Protestant, 5% who were "other Christian," 23% Roman Catholic, and 3% who named another Christian faith, including 2% Mormon."Coming in at 11% were those who claimed no religious identity at all, and another 2% didn't answer. Newport writes that these "results suggest that well more than 9 out of 10 Americans who identify with a religion are Christian in one way or the other."Time has shown a shift in religious camps. The new Gallup shows that the percentage of Americans who identify with a Christian religion is down some over the decades. It is due to the higher percentage of Americans today who don't claim a religious identity. In 1948 - one of the first Gallup polls - 69% cliaimed to be Protestant and 22% as Roman Catholic, or about 91% Christian.The latest poll examines the line between those who claim to be a member of a church versus the actively religious. In the 1937 Gallup Poll, 73% of Americans said they were church members. Toay 62% percent of Americans in Gallup's latest poll say they are members of a "church or synagogue." Gallup noted that statisticians argue over the veracity of self-reported attendance data. Newport notes possible reasons: "Deliberately over-reporting the frequency of their church attendance because it is socially desirable, or generalizing and guessing at the frequency of their church attendance rather than pinning it down specifically."Gallup notes that now 17% of adult Americans say they never attend church, and more than 8 out of 10 Americans say they attend church or other worship services at least "seldom."But attending church could also mean attending a wedding, baptism or a funeral.Gallup's latest shows that one third say they attend once a week, with another 12% saying they attend almost every week. This means that about 44% of Americans can be pegged for "frequent church attendance." This year, 56% of Americans have said religion is very important. Only 17% say religion is not very important.Gallup noted that from the 1950s and 1960s over 70% of Americans said religion was very important in their daily lives. That percentage dropped into the 50% range by the 1970s, and since then it has fluctuated somewhat, but has generally been in the 55% to 65% range.Based on the latest Gallup's poll conducted in December, Newport claims "more than 8 in 10 Americans identify with a religion and 8 out of 10 say that religion is at least fairly important in their daily lives; more than 8 out of 10 say they attend church at least 'seldom'; and again more than 8 out of 10 identify with a Christian religion."

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an agnosticDec 28th, 2007 - 00:47:13

'I won't discriminate against you if you hold anachronistic views regarding deities.'

Something of a land speed record for self contradiction.

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fairy talesDec 29th, 2007 - 00:28:41

Religion is nothing but a bunch of fairy tales. You're worshipping fictional books. Are you so desperate to feel complete that you'll worship fiction? It just doesn't make any sense to me. Scientology has got to be the most confusing. A science fiction book by L Ron Hubbard? Come on people. There's no such thing as Santa or the Tooth Fairy.

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Bill DanielsDec 29th, 2007 - 09:04:26

To An Agnostic ..... read the quote properly.

'I won't discriminate against you if you hold anachronistic views regarding deities. What I will do is discriminate against you if you think that holding those views entitles you to special treatment, if you think that your particular imaginary friend's followers should get tax breaks. If you think that you should be seen of as a more 'moral' person because of thise views, if you're one of the huge majority of people who would trust an unconvicted atheist less than a convicted (but religious) criminal.'

Holding the views will NOT lead to dicrimination by me - expecting special treatment of ANY sort WILL lead to discrimiantion.

A very clear divide, the message - keep your personal views to yourself and you'll do just fine with me.

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