It says 25% of Americans have switched from the religion of their upbringing to another (or no) religion, and the number rises to 44% if Protestants changing denominations are counted in. Lots of other interesting findings, as follows:
- 78% of Americans are Christians, but only 51% are Protestants, and that number is shrinking. Protestants will soon be a minority.
- Roman Catholics lose more believers than any other religion; 10% of all Americans are ex-Catholics. Their numbers are sustained only through Latin American immigration; half of under-30 Catholics are Latinos.
- Hindus retain the most childhood believers. Jehovah's Witnesses retain the least.
- Most evangelicals convert from other Protestant faiths, as opposed to non-Christian faiths. Nondenominational churches are gaining, while Baptists and Methodists are losing. About 10% of all Protestants are now non-denominational.
- Most American Buddhists are whites, and most are converts. Buddhists outnumber Muslims, in fact, though both number under 1% of the population each.
MSNBC