PRRI Graphic
Retention Rates
Public Religion Research Institute examines how formative experiences with or without religion impact the likelihood of identifying as religious later in life.
Ninety-three percent of Americans report that they raised in a religious household, compared to just seven percent who were raised with no formal religious affiliation. As the graphic illustrates, the current religious affiliation of the two groups is markedly different. Among those who were raised in a religious household, 84 percent report identifying with a specific religious denomination or tradition as adults. In contrast, among those who were raised without religion, the majority (53 percent) say they are religiously unaffiliated, a group that includes self-identified atheists and agnostics, seculars (who say they are not religious) and unattached believers (who say they are religious).
Interestingly, nearly half (47 percent) of Americans raised without a formal religious affiliation now claim a religious identity as adults.