{"id":198594,"date":"2025-02-26T06:09:14","date_gmt":"2025-02-26T11:09:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?p=198594"},"modified":"2026-06-10T09:03:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T13:03:46","slug":"religious-upbringing-and-childhood-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/religious-upbringing-and-childhood-education\/","title":{"rendered":"5. Religious upbringing and childhood education"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The vast majority of Americans were raised in a religion. Fully 86% say that as children, they identified with Protestantism, Catholicism, Judaism, Islam or another religion. Just 13% of U.S. adults say that as children, they did not identify with any<\/em> religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Religious Landscape Study (RLS) shows, furthermore, that 68% of U.S. adults say they grew up attending religious services at least once or twice a month, including 56% who say they went at least once a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seven-in-ten U.S. adults say they received at least some formal religious education as children, attending either a private religious school or other religious education programs such as Sunday school or CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine). This includes 35% of Americans who received a lot <\/em>of formal religious education (seven or more years attending either type).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bar<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In addition, 45% of Americans say religion was very important to their family when they were children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The survey shows a clear relationship between people\u2019s religious upbringing and how religious they are now. People raised in highly religious families are more likely to be religious themselves as adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bar<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For example, among adults who say religion was very important to their family when they were children, 55% say religion is very important in their own lives today. Far fewer people who grew up in families in which religion was less important say it is very important in their own lives today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, growing up in a religious home is no guarantee that a person will view religion as very important as an adult. Among adults who say they were raised in homes where religion was very important to their family, 24% say religion is somewhat<\/em> important to them today, and an additional 20% say it is not too<\/em> important or not at all<\/em> important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Age plays a role in how people answer these questions. The younger they are, the less likely U.S. adults are to say they were raised in religious homes. And the \u201cstickiness\u201d of a religious upbringing may be declining: In general, younger U.S. adults who were raised in highly religious homes are less religious today than older U.S. adults who were raised in highly religious homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more in this chapter about:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n