(ZENIT News / Washington, 20.02.2024).- Many Americans take more care of their spirit, but have not grown in religiosity, although they express changes in their spirituality and religious level.
An analysis of the Pew Research Center’s survey in 2023, on Americans’ openness to religious values, shows they are more inclined to cultivate the spiritual dimension of their personality, although not their relationship with God. The important data is that adult Americans say they are more spiritual and only 24% say they are more religious.
In contrast, 13% of adults in the United States say they have become less spiritual over time, and 33% say they are less religious. The rest say their spirituality and level of religiosity continue the same or have increased at times and decreased at others.
The survey did not define the spiritual and religious concepts or ask about the change in spirituality or religiosity, but only the advance or regress in this dimension of life. However, the study did ask those surveyed to describe in their own words what spirituality meant.
The fourth question related spirituality with religion, making frequent reference to faith in God, in Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit and elements of Christian theology. A third answered “belief in something else,” either a superior power or acceptance of the invisible or supernatural.
Just over half of Evangelical Protestants, 55%, felt more oriented to spiritual values and few have become less spiritual.
Among Americans without religious affiliation, 28% said their spirituality has grown and a fourth said it has decreased. In the United States, considered without religious affiliation are those that say they are atheist, agnostic or “don’t believe in anything in particular.” The study highlighted that 9% of atheists said they were more spiritual and half said their interest in the spiritual had diminished.
Few Evangelicals, — 17% –, said they were less religious and 47% said they had become more religious. The Catholics and Reformed of the historical Churches expressed similar percentages in as much as becoming more or less religious. Adult Jews were the least inclined to grow in their religiosity — only 13% –, and many more — 29% –, said they were less religious.
The survey showed all older groups with a greater advance in spiritual values. However, those older than 65 grew in their spiritual life — 45% –, and only 8% said it had diminished. In regard to those younger than 30, a third have become more spiritual and a fifth less so.
Regarding religiosity, 33% of Americans 65 or older said they had become more religious and 24% less so. The proportion is inverted when it comes to adults younger than 30: 15% said they are more religious and 42% less so.
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