November 18, 2025 • 11 mins
Gallup reports a 17% point drop in Americans who say religion is important in daily life. This is one of the largest declines recorded globally in the last decade, and it signals a massive cultural shift in America.
In this episode of the Mike Drop, Mike Smithgall analyzes the #Gallup data, breaking down why this 17% drop is happening now, what it means for American politics, and how younger generations are redefining their relationship with faith and authority.
We explore:
- The difference between Christian identity and Christian practice in the U.S.
- How institutional scandals and the rise of #Christiannationalism have pushed people away from organized religion.
- Why the U.S. now sits in a "strange zone" of high religious identity but middling religiosity compared to other developed nations.
- The rise of personal agency and reason as people build morality from human needs, not ancient rules.
This analysis provides a measured, #secular, and skeptical look at the forces reshaping belief in America.
Source/Citation:
The analysis is based on the Gallup World Poll and its analysis of the dramatic drop in U.S. religiosity:
https://news.gallup.com/poll/697676/drop-religiosity-among-largest-world.aspx
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
So Gallup released new numbers that caught my
attention this week.
You may have seen the headline: a 17-point drop in the share of (00:03):
undefined
Americans who say religion playsan important role in daily life.
Now, that drop happened in asingle decade, from two-thirds
of the country in 2015 down to49% today.
Numbers at large do not comefrom random noise in a survey.
(00:26):
They come from people makingcareful decisions about how they
want to live.
They come from families askingwhat faith adds to their lives.
And they come from people whogrew up inside a church and no
longer find that messagepersuasive.
And here's the part that standsout that's not happening
everywhere.
The global medium forreligiosity has stayed stable
(00:47):
for nearly 20 years.
81% worldwide still say religionmatters.
The shift is happening here inthis country, the country that
once stood apart from otherdeveloped nations on the
question of faith and belief andis starting to settle into a
different place.
Now, when you look at the trendsthrough a wide lens, you see a
(01:09):
story about change, change inidentity, change in trust,
change in what youngergenerations are willing to
accept.
This Gallup data isn't noise,it's a clear picture of the
country that is moving.
(01:29):
And this is today's Mic Drop.
So a 17-point shift in a singledecade is rare.
Gallup tracks more than 160countries, and only a handful
have shown a decline of thissize.
That tells you that the UnitedStates is going through a
cultural correction, not justrandom survey glitch.
People do not change theiranswers on religion without some
(01:52):
level of thought.
You may drift away from a hobby,you may forget to renew a
membership.
You do not drift away fromreligion by accident.
Religion shapes childhood andfamily routines, marriages, and
social circles.
When people step away, they aremaking a very conscious choice.
The Gallup data shows half thecountry no longer considers
(02:15):
religion important in dailylife.
This does not tell you whetherpeople believe in God.
It tells you whether religionholds authority over their
choices.
That difference matters.
Belief is internal, authority isexternal.
The United States once stood outamong wealthy democracies as an
unusually religious nation.
(02:35):
The trend line shows that thecountry is no longer holding
that position.
The United States is driftingtowards the pattern seen in
other developed countries thatplace a stronger focus on
personal judgment, individualresponsibility, and
evidence-based thinking.
And this is not a sudden break.
It's a result of years of slowadjustments.
(02:56):
People ask questions that do notreceive clear answers.
People watch scandals thatreceive no accountability.
And people see faith used as apolitical tool instead of a
personal philosophy.
When a 17-point drop happens,something has changed, something
deep enough for people torethink what they were taught.
And you can see this trend evenmore clearly in the Gallup chart
(03:19):
that tracks 10-year declinesacross the OECD.
Greece, Italy, Poland, Chile,Turkey, and Portugal have all
seen large drops.
The United States sits near thetop of that list with a 17-point
decline.
The visual tells a story.
This is one of the biggestshifts recorded in any developed
(03:39):
country.
Now, here is another notablepoint from the Gallup numbers.
Christian identity remainsfairly high, but Christian
practice and commitment todoctrine do not follow that same
pattern.
You still have many people whocall themselves Christian.
You have far fewer who attendchurch and follow doctrine or
(04:00):
use scripture to guide theirdaily choices.
That split between identity andpractice, that's what causes a
lot of the friction that we'reseeing.
A person may say they're aChristian because that describes
how they were raised.
It may describe their familyhistory, and it may describe the
traditions that they keep aroundthe holidays.
But that identity does notguarantee agreement with
(04:24):
political Christian nationalism.
In other words, Christianityremains a major cultural label
while the role of religion indaily life has weakened.
Gallup visualized this with aglobal scatterplot that compares
how many people identify asChristian against how many say
religion matters in daily life.
The United States sits in astrange zone on that chart.
(04:48):
High Christian identity,middling religiosity.
Countries like Poland and Italyhave stronger religious practice
at similar identity levels.
Countries like the UK or Finlandhave lower identity and lower
religiosity.
The United States sits betweenthem.
That placement tells you why wesee so much cultural friction.
(05:09):
The country does not match anyclean global category.
And that also helps to explainwhy debates about religion have
grown sharper.
Some Christian leaders arewatching the authority they once
held slip away.
They respond with louder claimsand stronger demands and a
tighter grip on political power.
When numbers drop, some peopledouble down.
(05:32):
They treat numbers as a threatto control, not a signal to
reflect on their message.
Christianity in the modernUnited States is splitting into
two paths.
One path is cultural.
People carry the identity, butthey do not treat religion as a
rule book.
The other path is activist.
People want faith to decide law,education, and public policy.
(05:55):
Those two paths share a label,but they do not share a purpose.
A 17-point drop does not appearout of nowhere.
There are reasons.
Religious institutions havefaced waves of scandal.
Churches have shielded accusers.
Leaders have evadedaccountability.
People have lost trust.
(06:15):
And trust is a very fragilething.
And once damaged, it rarelyreturns.
And you can see frustration witha political overreach.
Some churches move fromspiritual guidance to partisan
messaging.
Sermons turned into campaignrallies while religion becomes
an arm of a political power.
People who value fairness simplywalk away.
(06:36):
Another cause is Christiannationalism.
I have talked about this many,many times.
The idea that the countrybelongs to one faith, that
everyone else should play asecondary role.
Younger generations just do notaccept that worldview.
Many older adults do not acceptit either.
The rise of Christiannationalism has pushed a large
(06:57):
number of people to distancethemselves from religion, even
if they still believe in God.
And then you have the hypocrisyproblem.
When leaders preach one set ofrules and live by another,
people notice that.
When churches demand moralpurity while excusing the
behavior of their own members,people notice again.
(07:17):
These moments add up.
They reach a point where thelabel no longer matches the
lived experience.
People are not rejecting theirneighbors, they're rejecting
institutions that used fear andcontrol and authority without
earning the respect.
All right, quick pause.
If you're enjoying this analysisand you value honest dialogue,
please click the subscribe orthe follow button right now.
(07:39):
It's free, it helps thecommunity grow and ensures that
you never miss a mic drop.
All right, let's get back to it.
Now, younger generations shapethe future of every cultural
trend.
So when you look at Gen Z andGen Alpha, you see a clear
shift.
These generations grew up withaccess to information.
They know how to verify claimsand they are comfortable
(08:00):
questioning authority.
They do not face the same socialcosts for stepping away.
They judge ideas based on merit,not tradition.
For many young adults, the oldidea that religion is necessary
for morality just doesn't hold.
They see kindness and fairnessand personal responsibility as
human values, not religiousones.
(08:21):
They see empathy as a skill thatgrows through experience, not
through sermons.
And they see community assomething built through shared
goals rather than sharedbeliefs.
It's a very specific difference.
The generational shift ispowerful.
When a 20-year-old says religiondoes not matter to daily life,
that viewpoint becomes part ofthe next 50 years of American
(08:45):
identity.
And this shift also weakens theforce of religious arguments in
politics.
When someone quotes scripture tomake a point, younger
generations often see noauthority in that argument.
They want reasons based onevidence and fairness and
outcomes.
The Gallup numbers show acountry where younger
generations are shaping a futurethat looks less dominated by
(09:09):
religion and more focused oncritical thinking.
Now, the US is in a strangespot, less religious than much
of the world, but still morereligious than most of its
economic peers.
And the country just doesn't fitcleanly into any category.
That alone creates tension.
People who grew up in a stronglyreligious environment now live
(09:30):
beside people who grew up withnone.
People who think scriptureshould decide policy, live
beside people who see scriptureas a book of stories and nothing
more.
This mixture creates conflict,but it also creates opportunity.
When fewer people treat religionas a requirement for moral
character, there's room for morehonest conversation about how we
(09:51):
treat one another.
There's room to build ethicsfrom shared human experiences.
The decline in religiositydoesn't signal the decline in
values.
It signals the rise of personalagency.
People decide for themselves howthey want to build a meaningful
life.
They're building morality fromhuman needs, not ancient rules.
And they're replacing fear withinquiry.
(10:13):
The Gallup numbers show acountry in transition.
And that transition will shapepolitics, culture, and community
life for decades.
The next generation will grow upin an environment where belief
is optional instead of assumed.
All right, that's my two cents.
Unblessed, unfiltered, agree ordisagree.
That's what I got for you today.
We're watching a shift in howthe country understands faith
(10:36):
and authority and personaljudgment.
It's a shift by people who askquestions and refuse to settle
for answers that do not hold up.
I'm Mike Smithgall.
Thanks for tuning in, and I'llcatch you on the next one.
Hey, I really hope you enjoyedtoday's show.
Before you go, make sure youlike and subscribe to the show
and tell a friend.
It really helps us grow.
If you'd like more great contentfrom us, be sure to check us out
(10:59):
right here on YouTube.
You can also find us whereveryou get your podcasts, and check
out our blog atatheistville.com.
Until we talk again, rememberreason and compassion go a very
long way.
So Gallup released new numbers that caught my
attention this week.
You may have seen the headline: a 17-point drop in the share of (00:03):
undefined
Americans who say religion playsan important role in daily life.
Now, that drop happened in asingle decade, from two-thirds
of the country in 2015 down to49% today.
Numbers at large do not comefrom random noise in a survey.
(00:26):
They come from people makingcareful decisions about how they
want to live.
They come from families askingwhat faith adds to their lives.
And they come from people whogrew up inside a church and no
longer find that messagepersuasive.
And here's the part that standsout that's not happening
everywhere.
The global medium forreligiosity has stayed stable
(00:47):
for nearly 20 years.
81% worldwide still say religionmatters.
The shift is happening here inthis country, the country that
once stood apart from otherdeveloped nations on the
question of faith and belief andis starting to settle into a
different place.
Now, when you look at the trendsthrough a wide lens, you see a
(01:09):
story about change, change inidentity, change in trust,
change in what youngergenerations are willing to
accept.
This Gallup data isn't noise,it's a clear picture of the
country that is moving.
(01:29):
And this is today's Mic Drop.
So a 17-point shift in a singledecade is rare.
Gallup tracks more than 160countries, and only a handful
have shown a decline of thissize.
That tells you that the UnitedStates is going through a
cultural correction, not justrandom survey glitch.
People do not change theiranswers on religion without some
(01:52):
level of thought.
You may drift away from a hobby,you may forget to renew a
membership.
You do not drift away fromreligion by accident.
Religion shapes childhood andfamily routines, marriages, and
social circles.
When people step away, they aremaking a very conscious choice.
The Gallup data shows half thecountry no longer considers
(02:15):
religion important in dailylife.
This does not tell you whetherpeople believe in God.
It tells you whether religionholds authority over their
choices.
That difference matters.
Belief is internal, authority isexternal.
The United States once stood outamong wealthy democracies as an
unusually religious nation.
(02:35):
The trend line shows that thecountry is no longer holding
that position.
The United States is driftingtowards the pattern seen in
other developed countries thatplace a stronger focus on
personal judgment, individualresponsibility, and
evidence-based thinking.
And this is not a sudden break.
It's a result of years of slowadjustments.
(02:56):
People ask questions that do notreceive clear answers.
People watch scandals thatreceive no accountability.
And people see faith used as apolitical tool instead of a
personal philosophy.
When a 17-point drop happens,something has changed, something
deep enough for people torethink what they were taught.
And you can see this trend evenmore clearly in the Gallup chart
(03:19):
that tracks 10-year declinesacross the OECD.
Greece, Italy, Poland, Chile,Turkey, and Portugal have all
seen large drops.
The United States sits near thetop of that list with a 17-point
decline.
The visual tells a story.
This is one of the biggestshifts recorded in any developed
(03:39):
country.
Now, here is another notablepoint from the Gallup numbers.
Christian identity remainsfairly high, but Christian
practice and commitment todoctrine do not follow that same
pattern.
You still have many people whocall themselves Christian.
You have far fewer who attendchurch and follow doctrine or
(04:00):
use scripture to guide theirdaily choices.
That split between identity andpractice, that's what causes a
lot of the friction that we'reseeing.
A person may say they're aChristian because that describes
how they were raised.
It may describe their familyhistory, and it may describe the
traditions that they keep aroundthe holidays.
But that identity does notguarantee agreement with
(04:24):
political Christian nationalism.
In other words, Christianityremains a major cultural label
while the role of religion indaily life has weakened.
Gallup visualized this with aglobal scatterplot that compares
how many people identify asChristian against how many say
religion matters in daily life.
The United States sits in astrange zone on that chart.
(04:48):
High Christian identity,middling religiosity.
Countries like Poland and Italyhave stronger religious practice
at similar identity levels.
Countries like the UK or Finlandhave lower identity and lower
religiosity.
The United States sits betweenthem.
That placement tells you why wesee so much cultural friction.
(05:09):
The country does not match anyclean global category.
And that also helps to explainwhy debates about religion have
grown sharper.
Some Christian leaders arewatching the authority they once
held slip away.
They respond with louder claimsand stronger demands and a
tighter grip on political power.
When numbers drop, some peopledouble down.
(05:32):
They treat numbers as a threatto control, not a signal to
reflect on their message.
Christianity in the modernUnited States is splitting into
two paths.
One path is cultural.
People carry the identity, butthey do not treat religion as a
rule book.
The other path is activist.
People want faith to decide law,education, and public policy.
(05:55):
Those two paths share a label,but they do not share a purpose.
A 17-point drop does not appearout of nowhere.
There are reasons.
Religious institutions havefaced waves of scandal.
Churches have shielded accusers.
Leaders have evadedaccountability.
People have lost trust.
(06:15):
And trust is a very fragilething.
And once damaged, it rarelyreturns.
And you can see frustration witha political overreach.
Some churches move fromspiritual guidance to partisan
messaging.
Sermons turned into campaignrallies while religion becomes
an arm of a political power.
People who value fairness simplywalk away.
(06:36):
Another cause is Christiannationalism.
I have talked about this many,many times.
The idea that the countrybelongs to one faith, that
everyone else should play asecondary role.
Younger generations just do notaccept that worldview.
Many older adults do not acceptit either.
The rise of Christiannationalism has pushed a large
(06:57):
number of people to distancethemselves from religion, even
if they still believe in God.
And then you have the hypocrisyproblem.
When leaders preach one set ofrules and live by another,
people notice that.
When churches demand moralpurity while excusing the
behavior of their own members,people notice again.
(07:17):
These moments add up.
They reach a point where thelabel no longer matches the
lived experience.
People are not rejecting theirneighbors, they're rejecting
institutions that used fear andcontrol and authority without
earning the respect.
All right, quick pause.
If you're enjoying this analysisand you value honest dialogue,
please click the subscribe orthe follow button right now.
(07:39):
It's free, it helps thecommunity grow and ensures that
you never miss a mic drop.
All right, let's get back to it.
Now, younger generations shapethe future of every cultural
trend.
So when you look at Gen Z andGen Alpha, you see a clear
shift.
These generations grew up withaccess to information.
They know how to verify claimsand they are comfortable
(08:00):
questioning authority.
They do not face the same socialcosts for stepping away.
They judge ideas based on merit,not tradition.
For many young adults, the oldidea that religion is necessary
for morality just doesn't hold.
They see kindness and fairnessand personal responsibility as
human values, not religiousones.
(08:21):
They see empathy as a skill thatgrows through experience, not
through sermons.
And they see community assomething built through shared
goals rather than sharedbeliefs.
It's a very specific difference.
The generational shift ispowerful.
When a 20-year-old says religiondoes not matter to daily life,
that viewpoint becomes part ofthe next 50 years of American
(08:45):
identity.
And this shift also weakens theforce of religious arguments in
politics.
When someone quotes scripture tomake a point, younger
generations often see noauthority in that argument.
They want reasons based onevidence and fairness and
outcomes.
The Gallup numbers show acountry where younger
generations are shaping a futurethat looks less dominated by
(09:09):
religion and more focused oncritical thinking.
Now, the US is in a strangespot, less religious than much
of the world, but still morereligious than most of its
economic peers.
And the country just doesn't fitcleanly into any category.
That alone creates tension.
People who grew up in a stronglyreligious environment now live
(09:30):
beside people who grew up withnone.
People who think scriptureshould decide policy, live
beside people who see scriptureas a book of stories and nothing
more.
This mixture creates conflict,but it also creates opportunity.
When fewer people treat religionas a requirement for moral
character, there's room for morehonest conversation about how we
(09:51):
treat one another.
There's room to build ethicsfrom shared human experiences.
The decline in religiositydoesn't signal the decline in
values.
It signals the rise of personalagency.
People decide for themselves howthey want to build a meaningful
life.
They're building morality fromhuman needs, not ancient rules.
And they're replacing fear withinquiry.
(10:13):
The Gallup numbers show acountry in transition.
And that transition will shapepolitics, culture, and community
life for decades.
The next generation will grow upin an environment where belief
is optional instead of assumed.
All right, that's my two cents.
Unblessed, unfiltered, agree ordisagree.
That's what I got for you today.
We're watching a shift in howthe country understands faith
(10:36):
and authority and personaljudgment.
It's a shift by people who askquestions and refuse to settle
for answers that do not hold up.
I'm Mike Smithgall.
Thanks for tuning in, and I'llcatch you on the next one.
Hey, I really hope you enjoyedtoday's show.
Before you go, make sure youlike and subscribe to the show
and tell a friend.
It really helps us grow.
If you'd like more great contentfrom us, be sure to check us out
(10:59):
right here on YouTube.
You can also find us whereveryou get your podcasts, and check
out our blog atatheistville.com.
Until we talk again, rememberreason and compassion go a very
long way.
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