BYU studies published "Latter-day Saint Trends in the United States: Religiousness, Well-Being, and Retention" in June. The report used nationally representative data to identify trends in Latter-day Saint behavior. (Courtesy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
A BYU study reports that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have the nation’s highest religious attendance rates and examines the impact of feeling God’s presence daily on religious identification.A team of BYU professors compiled data from five national datasets, including the Pew Religious Landscape Study (PRLS), to see how the LDS Church compares with other religious groups across the country.Jenet Erickson, associate professor of religious education at BYU, said the report comes at a time when many believe faith is falling out of fashion.“I think the messaging is everyone's leaving in droves,” Erickson said. “People write that faith is toxic to people.”However, she's hopeful for Latter-day Saints after looking at the data. She and her colleagues reported high levels of religious activity among Latter-day Saints.“Latter-day Saints are active at a rate of 76%, attending church monthly, higher than anyone else,” Erickson said, referring to PRLS data.
Graph from BYU studies with data gathered from Pew Religious Landscape Study shows at least monthly religious attendance across religious traditions.
The BYU researchers used the PRLS monthly attendance data to create a new metric they call "active retention." In the report, active retention is defined as the percentage of adults who still identify with their religion and also attend religious services at least monthly.Latter-day Saints scored the highest in this category. Forty-two percent of those raised as Latter-day Saints still identify with the religion and attend religious services monthly as adults. Muslims followed closely behind with 38% retention and monthly attendance. Nondenominational Christians and Hindus tied for third at 28%.
Graph from BYU studies with data gathered from Pew Religious Landscape Study shows retention and attendance rates across religious traditions.
However, there's more to the story than a single percentage can tell. Alex Bass, a data scientist who writes the weekly Substack newsletter Mormon Metrics, said the report provides a good snapshot of recent Latter-day Saint metrics but undersells the changes Latter-day Saints are experiencing over time.“The trends aren’t as favorable when you look at them over time,” Bass said.The Cooperative Election Study (CES) tracked adult religious attendance from 2008 to 2024. While Latter-day Saints reported the highest attendance percentages every year, they also showed the steepest decline between the first and final surveys. Adult Latter-day Saint attendance was just above 80% in 2008 and just below 70% in 2024, according to the CES.
Graph from BYU studies with data gathered from the Cooperative Election Study shows changes in adult religious attendance by religion over time.
Erickson said broader cultural trends may help explain the decline in attendance. Economic growth, distrust in institutions and individualism are all factors to consider, she said. However, Erickson stated there are also advantages to change. "We're navigating this question of faith in a very different cultural context that can bring its own strengths," Erickson said.Now more than ever, Erickson believes people are forced to reckon with the intersection of their culture and religion. In the midst of it all, they are learning to prioritize connection with deity over completing spiritual checklists.Using data from the Family Foundations of Youth Development Study (FFYD), the BYU study reported that not feeling God's presence in one's daily life is one of the strongest predictors of religious de-identification.Seven percent of people who felt God's presence every day or many times a day de-identified with their religion, compared with 24% of those who never or almost never felt God's presence, according to FFYD.Connection with deity acts as an anchor during difficult times, Erickson said.“Your connection with God, your trust that he guides living prophets that help us, know what is true and what is real; if we can deepen our faith in that, we steady (ourselves) in the midst of the big cultural questions,” Erickson said.Erickson said she is confident in the future of faith in the United States. She hopes Latter-day Saint young adults will discover the peace and stability she believes religion provides.
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