The percentage of Americans identifying themselves as “born again” or evangelical Christians has grown, according to a survey for the Princeton Religion Research Center.
In a poll conducted for the Princeton, New Jersey, center by the Gallup Organization, 38 percent of 1,236 adult Americans polled identified themselves as born-again or evangelical—up from the 33 percent recorded in 1988 and the 35 percent recorded in 1978.
According to the poll, born-again or evangelical Christians are most likely to live in the South, where half the adult population describes itself in those terms. Other groups with heavy concentrations of born-again or evangelical Christians include blacks, persons who did not graduate from college, and persons with incomes under $30,000.
Protestants are three times as likely to describe themselves in those terms as are Catholics.
Forty-one percent of the women and 36 percent of the men identified themselves as born-again or evangelical.
Other survey findings show that:
• More people believe the influence of religion is declining than believe it is increasing. The poll showed that 48 percent of the adult population believes the influence of religion is declining, while 33 percent believe it is increasing. Others either have no opinion or believe religion’s influence has remained constant. The higher the income level of the respondents, the less likely they were to believe religion’s influence is increasing.
• The proportion of people who believe in an afterlife, 77 percent, remains unchanged since the question was last asked by the Gallup organization in 1981. Belief in a life after death is highest among adults aged 30 to 49, at 74 percent. By education level, persons least likely to believe in an afterlife are those who did not graduate from high school.
Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here.
Our digital archives are a work in progress. Let us know if corrections need to be made.
Annual & Monthly subscriptions available.
- Print & Digital Issues of CT magazine
- Complete access to every article on ChristianityToday.com
- Unlimited access to 65+ years of CT’s online archives
- Member-only special issues
- Learn more
More from this Issue
Read These Next
- TrendingAmerican Christians Should Stand with Israel under AttackWhile we pray for peace, we need moral clarity about this war.
- From the MagazineWhat Kind of Man Is This?We’ve got little information on Jesus’ appearance and personality. But that’s the way God designed it.españolFrançais
- Editor's PickDied: Mandisa, ‘Overcomer’ Singer and American Idol StarThe Grammy-winning artist was found dead at her home in Nashville at age 47.