National

Gallup says the percentage of U.S. adults who belong to a church or other religious institution has plunged by 20 points over the past two decades, hitting a low of 50% last year, AP reports.

By the numbers: Gallup said church membership was 70% in 1999 — and higher than that for most of the 20th century. Since 1999, the figure has fallen steadily, while the percentage of U.S. adults with no religious affiliation has jumped from 8% to 19%.

The state of play: The biggest drops were recorded among Democrats and Hispanic Americans.

Church membership among Democrats fell from 71% to 48% over 20 years, compared to a drop from 77% to 69% among Republicans.

Go deeper ... Exclusive poll: Most Americans say religion will live on

Church membership in U.S. plummets

A new Gallup poll says it hit a low of 50% last year.

This is an image of a white church against a blue sky. 

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Religion

Gallup says the percentage of U.S. adults who belong to a church or other religious institution has plunged by 20 points over the past two decades, hitting a low of 50% last year, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="AP reports" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/f15241378057486ea437cad490a2ed67" data-vars-content-id="f7f15835-1f43-4c40-bb9e-401236a33837" data-vars-headline="Church membership in U.S. plummets" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/f15241378057486ea437cad490a2ed67" target="_blank">AP reports</a>.By the numbers: Gallup said church membership was 70% in 1999 — and higher than that for most of the 20th century. Since 1999, the figure has fallen steadily, while the percentage of U.S. adults with no religious affiliation has jumped from 8% to 19%.