By Michaela Gordoni
Americans put more trust in the church after a period of record lows.
Now, 36% of Americans say they have a lot of confidence in the church — a significant increase since 2020, Gallup said.
In 2022, confidence was at 31% and stayed at 32% in 2023 and 2024. The last major rebound was in 2001 after 9/11, when confidence was at 60%.
The increase is likely among Republican conservatives, as their trust in the church jumped from 49% in 2024 to 64% this year. On the other hand, Democrat trust dropped from 22% to 21%. It rose among independents from 28% to 30%.
Public trust runs highest in small businesses (70%), the military (62%) and science (61%). It ran lowest in Congress (10%) and television news (11%).
“While the loss of faith in key U.S. institutions may be hard to ever recover among political independents, partisans’ confidence is easily restored when their political party controls the institution. The flip side, of course, is that the confidence of the other party’s supporters declines when their party loses power,” said Gallup senior researcher Megan Brenan.
“This suggests that confidence in U.S. institutions may be less about how well the institution performs its societal functions and more about who has the power to influence what the institution can do,” she continued.
Related: Church Participation Reduces ‘Deaths of Despair,’ Study Shows
Women’s, young Americans’ and lower-income households’ trust in the church improved. Women’s confidence rose to 36%, and Americans aged 18 to 37 rose from 26% to 32%.
Those with some college education or no degree rose up to 36%. People who earned less than $50,000 per year grew from 31% to 39%.
Lifeway Research reported Black (31%) and Hispanic Americans (33%) were less likely to put faith in the church than white Americans (37%).
In Lifeway Research’s 2023 report of distrust in the church, it pointed out that churchgoers were increasingly wanting to be part of congregations that share their same political beliefs. Some congregations in recent years have become politically segregated.
There is also the view that church clergy have low ethical standards and are not held accountable. As of this year, public trust in pastors rests at 30%. It was at 34% in 2023.
Pew Research announced in February of this year that Christianity, which was previously on the decline, has slowed and leveled off. Just less than half of all Americans say they pray daily, at 44%, and 33% say they go to religious services at least once a month.
The data seems to indicate there is a quiet uptick in faith in America. As more people look for hope and meaning, hopefully, faith will continue to grow.
Read Next: New Study Finds That Regular Church Attendance Improves Mental Health
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