A new Cornell-led study finds a notable transformation in American religious life, with many leaving organized religion not to abandon their faith, but to seek spirituality that better aligns with their individual values.
American religious life is undergoing a “remarkable” transformation, according to new research led by Cornell University. The study, published in Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, reveals that a significant number of people are leaving organized religion, not in favor of secular rationality, but to explore spirituality that aligns more closely with their personal values.
This trend is part of broader social changes that emphasize individual fulfillment and self-discovery. These include evolving views on gender and sexuality and an increasingly connected world courtesy of the internet.
The shift spans political views and represents a pushback against what many perceive as increasingly bureaucratic, rigid and political religious organizations.
“People aren’t leaving religious institutions passively or only because of partisan politics, but because of more deeply held values – about the sacredness of the individual, their concern for others and feeling that their participation in an institution doesn’t align with being the type of person they want to be,” first author Landon Schnabel, an associate professor of sociology in Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences, said in a news release. “They’re more intentionally choosing to follow what they really believe in.”
The study highlighted the rise of religious “nones” – individuals who claim no religious affiliation. In just a few decades, the proportion of nones in the United States has jumped from 1 in 20 to more than 1 in 4.
To better understand this shift, the researchers leveraged a nationally representative study that tracked teenagers as they came of age in the early 21st century, a period marked by significant social values changes and technological and economic upheaval.
Over a decade, more than 1,300 participants from the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) completed surveys detailing their religious practices and beliefs.
The findings revealed that institutional aspects of religion declined much faster than individual faith and spirituality. While religious attendance dropped sharply and prayer frequency dipped but then leveled off, there was a growing gap between institutional engagement and personal practice.
Religious affiliation saw a steep decline while belief in God remained steady. Support for proselytism dropped by nearly 10%, and meditation practice saw equivalent growth, marking it as the only variable to increase.
The study also noted that declines in religious attendance and affiliation were more pronounced among liberal participants, including those who endorsed same-sex marriage and abortion rights.
However, there were declines among moderates and conservatives as well, “suggesting broad change across this cohort,” the authors wrote, regardless of gender, race, class and sexual orientation.
Interviews conducted with some study participants revealed a recurring theme of dissonance between individuals’ values and those of institutions perceived to prioritize doctrine and finances over moral conviction and authenticity. This has driven many on a dynamic search for alternative ways to find spirituality, meaning and community.
“The move away from organized religion doesn’t look like kind of the pure material secularism that some people thought,” Schnabel added. “It doesn’t reflect disenchantment with the world, but re-enchantment through something other than church.”
The study was co-authored by Ilana Horwitz, an assistant professor of Jewish studies at Tulane University, Peyman Hekmatpour, a teaching assistant professor of sociology at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa, and Cyrus Schleifer, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Oklahoma.
Source: Cornell University