Americans are changing their religious affiliations or dropping out of formal religious groups at an increasing rate, according to a landmark study on American religious identification released Monday.
Nearly half of Americans have changed their affiliation since childhood or dropped out of a religious group, according to the survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. More religious options and lifestyle changes are fueling the trend, the study's authors say.
The report shows that 44 percent of Americans say they have switched their religious affiliation. The number of people who say they don't believe in God is also on the rise, immigration is changing how Americans worship, and Protestant denominations now make up only a slight majority - 51 percent - a significant drop in the past two decades.