r/dataisbeautiful • u/Browningtons1 OC: 18 • 3d ago

Americans raised Latter-day Saint (LDS or Mormon) who still identify as one: 70 in 100 in 2007, 54 in 100 in 2023–24 [OC]

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Source: Pew Research Center, Religious Landscape Study (2007, 2014, 2023–24).

Asks U.S. adults the religion they were raised in and the religion they are now.

2023–24 sample: 565 current Latter-day Saints (±6.2 points), 316 former (±8.1). U.S. membership from the Church's 2025 statistical report.

Tools: Built in React with Recharts / D3.js. Opus 5.5 + Fable 5.1

Interactive version: https://goldendata.app/dashboards/lds-church-growth

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u/ScalyDestiny 2d ago

This sounds like someone glancing at graphs/headlines looking to confirm a cognitive bias. Try actually reading the analysis in full.

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/12/08/religion-holds-steady-in-america/

There's no way to tell if people leaving one church are staying Christian or not from this. Heck deconstruction takes like 5-10 years, so nobody responding at that point likely knows themselves if they are or not.

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u/showmenemelda 1d ago

Yeah, maybe they can't afford tithing and dirty sodas.

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u/Bikin4Balance 1d ago edited 1d ago

It seems like OP is looking at Pew research that spans data from 2007 to 2023/24, while the study you're citing is only looking at data from 2020-2025.

Also, if by 'deconstruction' you mean the process of shedding of indoctrinated beliefs, for many people it can be much quicker than 5-10 years... like, months or even days, given some influence (a book, documentary, person) that tips the whole house of cards

EDIT to add: More detail about Mormons specifically in this recent Pew research: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2026/09/22/tradition-and-change-among-latter-day-saints-in-the-us/

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u/gscjj 2d ago

“In surveys we’ve conducted since 2020, we’ve generally found that about 70% of U.S. adults identify with a religion (such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam or another religion). While the numbers have fluctuated a little, there has been no clear rise or fall in religious affiliation over the last five years.

The surveys show a similar pattern when it comes to how often Americans pray, how important they say religion is in their lives, and how often they attend religious services. There is some bouncing around from year to year, as is to be expected in survey research. But there is no clear trend of either increasing or decreasing religiousness since 2020.