San Diego is shifting away from Christianity
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Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
As Easter approaches, fewer San Diego and California residents are observing Christian traditions compared to a decade ago, a recent study shows.
The big picture: "This is a broad-based social change," Alan Cooperman, the director of religion research at the Pew Research Center, told Axios.
- "We've had rising shares of people who don't identify with any religion — so-called nones — and declining shares who identify as Christian, in all parts of the country, in all parts of the population, by ethnicity and race, among both men and women, and among people at all levels of the educational spectrum."
By the numbers: In California, 55% of adults identify as Christians, down from 63% in 2014 and 71% in 2007, according to Pew's Religious Landscape Study, which surveyed more than 35,000 Americans about religious and social beliefs.
- Meanwhile, 33% of California adults say they're religiously unaffiliated, up from 27% in 2014 and 21% in 2007.
Zoom in: San Diego County saw a sharper decline in Christianity in the last decade, with 53% of adults identifying as Christians now compared to 68% in 2014.
- 40% say they're religiously unaffiliated, up from 27% in 2014.
- The share of locals practicing other religions, including Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist adults, has remained steady at 5-6%.
State of pray: San Diego's holy shift mirrors a national trend of declining Christianity over the past two decades.
- Researchers say it's driven in large part by Gen Z and younger millennials, though the "secular surge" has plateaued in the last four years.
The intrigue: While many people are moving away from organized religion, more are embracing spirituality with about 1 in 3 adults considering themselves "very" spiritual, according to Pew.
Between the lines: A significant portion of U.S. adults (35%) have switched religions since childhood, according to the study.
What we're hearing: "It's not surprising," Penny Edgell, professor in the sociology department at the University of Minnesota, tells Axios.
- "I think if you're more progressive, you might look at religion and say that the mainstream religious institutions don't reflect my values," particularly when it comes to topics like LGBTQ+ inclusion, she says.
Case in point: Fewer self-described liberals say they're Christian (37% — down from 62% in 2007) than are religiously unaffiliated (51%), according to the Pew data.
- Self-described conservatives have seen a much smaller decline: from 89% identifying as Christian to 82%.