By Kayla DeKraker
A rising number of Americans acknowledge the influence that religion has on society, and we’re thankful for that.
Between February 2024 and February 2025, the share of Pew Research survey respondents who said religion was gaining influence climbed from just 18% to 315, the highest level recorded in 15 years. Despite this increase, though, 68% still believe religion is losing influence overall.
However, the positive outlook on religion is something to celebrate.
When asked whether they think the shift is good or bad, 59% of U.S. adults expressed a positive view of religion’s influence. That includes people who say religion’s role is growing and that’s a good thing, and those who say its influence is declining and view that decline as problematic.
Related: Christianity Is Not Declining In the United States. In Fact …
Pew Research reported, “In addition to larger shares of U.S. adults who say religion is gaining influence and who express positive views about religion, growing percentages say they feel at odds with mainstream American culture because of their religious beliefs.”
It makes sense why people would acknowledge that Christianity does not mesh with mainstream culture. Jesus says in John 17:16-18, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.”
In a separate post to Instagram about this study, Pew explained more about this conflict.
“For the first time since we began asking this question in 2020, a majority of U.S. adults (58%) say they feel at least some conflict,” the group wrote in the caption. “📈 That’s up 10 percentage points from February 2024 and up 16 points from February 2020. This view is held by roughly half or more of Americans in every religious group analyzed, with the exception of those who say their religion is ‘nothing in particular.’”
Pew added, “✝️ Among religious groups large enough to be analyzed, White evangelicals (80%) are by far the most likely to say there is at least some conflict between their religious beliefs and the mainstream.”
Christianity specifically has been growing in America.
A report from Barna earlier this year found that 66% “of all U.S. adults say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus that is still important in their life today,” a 12% increase from 2021.
Church attendance is also on the rise, as The Bible Society reported.
“Where once we saw aging congregations and a steady decline in attendance, we see dramatic growth, led by the young. Where once we saw apathy or even hostility to Christianity and the Bible we see increased openness, again among the young,” the group said in a report.
Although there is still a lot of work to be done, Christians can rejoice that the number of believers and people interested in religion is growing.
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