{"id":287113,"date":"2026-03-11T09:45:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T13:45:14","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-03-21T01:21:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T05:21:31","slug":"buddhisms-recent-decline-in-east-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2026\/03\/11\/buddhisms-recent-decline-in-east-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"Buddhism&#8217;s Recent Decline in East Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<header class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull is-light\" style=\"min-height:550px;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><video class=\"wp-block-cover__video-background intrinsic-ignore\" autoplay muted loop playsinline src=\"https:\/\/videos.files.wordpress.com\/oVDlLQB2\/pr_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_featured-video.mp4\" data-object-fit=\"cover\"><\/video><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-ui-white-background-color has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group aligncenter has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0348449f wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-top-left-radius:12px;border-top-right-radius:12px;border-bottom-left-radius:12px;border-bottom-right-radius:12px;background-color:#ffffff5c;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:0;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:0\"><h1 aria-level=\"1\" data-post-type=\"post\" style=\"line-height:1.15\" class=\"has-text-align-center has-link-color wp-elements-151d7f04768944bb8c6ac57fd65e7164 wp-block-post-title has-text-color has-ui-black-color has-fluid-3-to-2-font-size has-serif-font-family\">Buddhism&#8217;s Recent Decline in East Asia<\/h1>\n\n<div style=\"background-color:#ffffff00\" class=\"wp-elements-2f3e8ca5d3da42d8029f1f1c2b38e636 wp-block-prc-block-bylines-display has-text-color has-ui-black-color has-background has-small-label-font-size is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-prc-block-bylines-display-is-layout-4effdc6a wp-block-prc-block-bylines-display-is-layout-flex\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-bylines-display__bylines\"><span class=\"wp-block-prc-block-bylines-display__prefix\">By<\/span> <a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/dalia-fahmy\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Dalia Fahmy\">Dalia Fahmy<\/a><span class=\"prc-platform-staff-bylines__separator\">, <\/span><a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/yunping-tong\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Yunping Tong\">Yunping Tong<\/a><span class=\"prc-platform-staff-bylines__separator\">, <\/span><a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/bill-webster\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Bill Webster\">Bill Webster<\/a> <span class=\"prc-platform-staff-bylines__and-separator\">and<\/span> <a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/justine-coleman\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Justine Coleman\">Justine Coleman<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div style=\"font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.114), 15px)\" class=\"has-text-align-center has-link-color wp-elements-481524b9ae8f1b56ce2cfae27e6e867a wp-block-post-date has-text-color has-ui-black-color\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-11T09:45:14-04:00\">March 11, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-social-links aligncenter has-small-icon-size has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-horizontal is-content-justification-left is-layout-flex wp-container-core-social-links-is-layout-ada36eb6 wp-block-social-links-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);font-size:14px;text-transform:capitalize\"><div style=\"--block-gap:inherit\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-social-share-sheet\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/social-share-sheet&quot;}\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Buddhism&#8217;s Recent Decline in East Asia&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Buddhism is the only major religion whose global population shrank between 2010 and 2020. Learn why it declined in East Asia, particularly in Japan and South Korea.&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/beta.pewresearch.org\\\/pewresearch-org\\\/?p=287113&quot;,&quot;hashtags&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;image&quot;:false}\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\" data-wp-class--web-share-supported=\"state.enabled\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.detectWebShareSupport\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?p=287113\" class=\"has-ui-text-color-color\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__solid icon__share\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/solid.svg#share\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/a>\n<li data-wp-context=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/beta.pewresearch.org\\\/pewresearch-org\\\/?p=287113&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Buddhism&amp;#8217;s Recent Decline in East Asia&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Buddhism is the only major religion whose global population shrank between 2010 and 2020. 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Learn why it declined in East Asia, particularly in Japan and South Korea.&quot;,&quot;platform&quot;:&quot;mail&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/social-links\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a\" class=\"wp-social-link wp-social-link-mail has-ui-text-color-color wp-block-social-link\"><a rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/%mail%\" class=\"wp-block-social-link-anchor\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M19,5H5c-1.1,0-2,.9-2,2v10c0,1.1.9,2,2,2h14c1.1,0,2-.9,2-2V7c0-1.1-.9-2-2-2zm.5,12c0,.3-.2.5-.5.5H5c-.3,0-.5-.2-.5-.5V9.8l7.5,5.6,7.5-5.6V17zm0-9.1L12,13.6,4.5,7.9V7c0-.3.2-.5.5-.5h14c.3,0,.5.2.5.5v.9z\"><\/path><\/svg><span class=\"wp-block-social-link-label screen-reader-text\">Mail<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<a style=\"font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.114), 15px)\" class=\"has-ui-text-color-color wp-block-prc-block-social-share-text-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Add Us On Google<\/a><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/header>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap has-small-font-size has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Buddhism is the only major religion in the world with a falling number of adherents, according to Pew Research Center <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/interactives\/religious-composition-by-country-2010-2020\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">estimates for 2010 and 2020<\/a>. By contrast, other religions grew during that period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\"><img data-dominant-color=\"efeeee\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #efeeee;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-01.png?resize=480,146 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-01.png?resize=782,238 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-01.png?resize=960,293 960w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-01.png?resize=1200,366 1200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-01.png?resize=1280,390 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"195\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-01.png?w=640\" alt=\"Bar chart showing Buddhism is the only major religion in the world with a falling number of adherents.\" class=\"wp-image-289163 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Most of the world\u2019s Buddhists live in Asia, and more than 90% are in 10 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\"><img data-dominant-color=\"ebdbc3\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #ebdbc3;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-02.png?resize=480,188 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-02.png?resize=782,305 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-02.png?resize=960,375 960w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-02.png?resize=1200,469 1200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-02.png?resize=1280,500 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"250\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-02.png?w=640\" alt=\"Map and chart showing most of the world's Buddhists live in Asia.\" class=\"wp-image-289164 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The decline of Buddhism is especially pronounced in East Asia, including China, South Korea and Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f4eee5\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f4eee5;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-03.png?resize=480,292 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-03.png?resize=782,475 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-03.png?resize=960,584 960w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-03.png?resize=1200,729 1200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-03.png?resize=1280,778 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"389\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-03.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Bar chart showing the decline of Buddhism is especially pronounced in East Asia, including China, South Korea and Japan.\" class=\"wp-image-289165 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Across East Asia, many people who were raised as Buddhists no longer identify with Buddhism. Most of them are now religiously unaffiliated \u2013 identifying as atheist, agnostic or just \u201cnothing in particular.\u201d &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">In Japan, for example, 40% of adults who were brought up as Buddhists are religiously unaffiliated today, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/03\/26\/religious-switching-into-and-out-of-buddhism\/#what-percentage-of-people-raised-buddhist-are-still-buddhist\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pew Research Center survey in 2024<\/a>. In South Korea, that figure is 42%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e7ebea\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e7ebea;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-04.png?resize=480,215 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-04.png?resize=782,351 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-04.png?resize=960,431 960w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-04.png?resize=1200,538 1200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-04.png?resize=1280,574 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"287\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-04.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Map and chart showing 40% of adults in Japan and 42% of adults in South Korea were brought up as Buddhists.\" class=\"wp-image-289166 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">To understand how and why people are leaving Buddhism, Pew Research Center conducted interviews in Tokyo and Seoul with Japanese and Korean adults who grew up in Buddhist families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">We chose a mix of older and younger adults. Some grew up immersed in Buddhist beliefs and still engage with Buddhism \u2013 though less than their parents or grandparents did. Others recall having only loose connections to Buddhism in childhood and barely think about religion today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d63ec3e5 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-54d22900 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-global-padding is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-e2d77b78 wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-1&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-content-justification-center is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"87766b\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"320\" height=\"320\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_flipcard-lee.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_flipcard-lee.png\" alt=\"Photo of Sunwoo Lee of Seoul\" class=\"wp-image-288691 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #87766b; width:150px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-content-justification-center is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-75e48b633b79eb64ea4acdb6e5bdba22 has-global-padding is-content-justification-center is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-323f9309 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#743e49;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:39px;padding-bottom:39px\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sans-serif-font-family has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-link-color has-small-font-size wp-elements-ec5fa8ada3505ebe11f765506384cf8b wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500;line-height:1.2\">Sunwoo Lee<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sans-serif-font-family has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:400;line-height:1.2\">College student<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sans-serif-font-family has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:400;line-height:1.2\">Seoul<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-global-padding is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-e2d77b78 wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-2&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-vertical is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"4f302c\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"320\" height=\"320\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_flipcard-tsujinaka.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_flipcard-tsujinaka.png\" alt=\"Photo of Junichiro Tsujinaka of Tokyo\" class=\"wp-image-288693 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #4f302c; width:150px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-vertical is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-f65007d3a6a256a6de1e46ba5f1cb3b5 has-global-padding is-content-justification-center is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-323f9309 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#357668;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:39px;padding-bottom:39px\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sans-serif-font-family has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-link-color has-small-font-size wp-elements-ffc1049c2ae1b235492e82d01844ab2b wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500;line-height:1.2\">Junichiro Tsujinaka<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sans-serif-font-family has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:400;line-height:1.2\">Bar owner<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sans-serif-font-family has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:400;line-height:1.2\">Tokyo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-3&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"553f39\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"320\" height=\"320\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_flipcard-oh.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_flipcard-oh.png\" alt=\"Photo of Jeongnam Oh of Seoul\" class=\"wp-image-288695 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #553f39; width:150px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-fa05ab4bb863f7836e29bedb973a5aa2 has-global-padding is-content-justification-center is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-323f9309 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#743e49;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:39px;padding-bottom:39px\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sans-serif-font-family has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-link-color has-small-font-size wp-elements-a58d9184c25aae021718f21c35213585 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500;line-height:1.2\">Jeongnam Oh<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sans-serif-font-family has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:400;line-height:1.2\">Retired shop owner<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sans-serif-font-family has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:400;line-height:1.2\">Seoul<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-4&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"574230\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"320\" height=\"320\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_flipcard-oda.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_flipcard-oda.png\" alt=\"Photo of Atsushi Oda of Tokyo\" class=\"wp-image-288696 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #574230; width:150px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-3daebc0d1270f02b14de7b70d7ff5175 has-global-padding is-content-justification-center is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-323f9309 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#357668;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:39px;padding-bottom:39px\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sans-serif-font-family has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-link-color has-small-font-size wp-elements-4379e1a521a3cb4d0187b5251de5e6d4 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500;line-height:1.2\">Atsushi Oda<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sans-serif-font-family has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:400;line-height:1.2\">Book editor<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sans-serif-font-family has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:400;line-height:1.2\">Tokyo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-5&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"4c4238\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"320\" height=\"320\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_flipcard-nakajima.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_flipcard-nakajima.png\" alt=\"Photo of Chieko Nakajima of Tokyo\" class=\"wp-image-288697 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #4c4238; width:150px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-93eaef6d7330f9381d738b94a91397b2 has-global-padding is-content-justification-center is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-323f9309 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#357668;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:39px;padding-bottom:39px\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sans-serif-font-family has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-link-color has-small-font-size wp-elements-72dbaa80b788e644c95d166ec217a68b wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500;line-height:1.2\">Chieko Nakajima<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sans-serif-font-family has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:400;line-height:1.2\">Restaurant owner<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sans-serif-font-family has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:400;line-height:1.2\">Tokyo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-6&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"513c36\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"320\" height=\"320\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_flipcard-hong.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_flipcard-hong.png\" alt=\"Photo of Roegon Hong of Seoul\" class=\"wp-image-288692 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #513c36; width:150px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-31abeee3d7f0e5d9b4e18d582dbb2dd2 has-global-padding is-content-justification-center is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-323f9309 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#743e49;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:39px;padding-bottom:39px\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sans-serif-font-family has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-link-color has-small-font-size wp-elements-ff90c09017be6a10a371784ba70a08af wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500;line-height:1.2\">Rogeon Hong<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sans-serif-font-family has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:400;line-height:1.2\">Studio technician<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sans-serif-font-family has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:400;line-height:1.2\">Seoul<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-7&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"8c705a\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"320\" height=\"320\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_flipcard-sato.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_flipcard-sato.png\" alt=\"Photo of Masami Sato of Tokyo\" class=\"wp-image-288694 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #8c705a; width:150px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-e96d92af9004b82299c632b0797cf177 has-global-padding is-content-justification-center is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-323f9309 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#357668;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:39px;padding-bottom:39px\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sans-serif-font-family has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-link-color has-small-font-size wp-elements-483ef4cf971488d17918c18ab162d00e wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500;line-height:1.2\">Masami Sato<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sans-serif-font-family has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:400;line-height:1.2\">TV reporter<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sans-serif-font-family has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:400;line-height:1.2\">Tokyo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">These interviews were conducted in October 2024. The charts are based on data from Pew Research Center surveys and demographic studies, including our reports \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/03\/26\/around-the-world-many-people-are-leaving-their-childhood-religions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Around the World, Many People Are Leaving Their Childhood Religions<\/a>\u201d and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/06\/17\/religion-and-spirituality-in-east-asian-societies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Religion and Spirituality in East Asian Societies<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div data-sticky-id=\"sticky-9\" data-wp-init--sticky-support=\"prc-block\/supports::callbacks.onInit\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/supports\" class=\"wp-block-group alignleft is-style-200-wide has-sans-serif-font-family has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained wp-container-8 is-position-sticky wp-block-hidden-mobile wp-block-hidden-tablet block-visibility-hide-medium-screen prc-block-visibility__tablet block-visibility-hide-small-screen prc-block-visibility__mobile\"><ol style=\"line-height:1.2 --block-gap: var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);\" class=\"is-style-default has-text-color has--color has-background has--background-color wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents\" aria-role=\"navigation\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/table-of-contents\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;items&quot;:[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;unattachedPackagePart_287113&quot;,&quot;label&quot;:&quot;Buddhism\\u2019s Recent Decline in East Asia&quot;,&quot;slug&quot;:&quot;buddhisms-recent-decline-in-east-asia&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/beta.pewresearch.org\\\/pewresearch-org\\\/religion\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/11\\\/buddhisms-recent-decline-in-east-asia\\\/&quot;,&quot;postId&quot;:287113,&quot;is_active&quot;:true,&quot;items&quot;:[],&quot;chapters&quot;:[],&quot;sections&quot;:[]}],&quot;highlightCurrentSection&quot;:true}\" data-wp-init--map-sections-to-chapters=\"callbacks.mapFoundSectionsToChapters\" data-wp-init--watch-for-section-scroll=\"callbacks.initWatchForSectionScroll\" data-wp-on-document--scroll=\"callbacks.watchForSectionScroll\">\t\t\t<template data-wp-each--chapter=\"context.items\">\n\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list-item\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"state.isActive\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a data-wp-bind--href=\"context.chapter.url\" data-wp-text=\"context.chapter.label\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list sections\" data-wp-hidden=\"callbacks.hasSections\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<template data-wp-each--section=\"context.chapter.sections\">\n\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list-item\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"state.isActive\" data-wp-watch--for-current-section=\"callbacks.watchForCurrentSection\">\n\t\t\t\t<a data-wp-bind--href=\"context.section.url\" data-wp-text=\"context.section.label\" data-wp-on--click=\"callbacks.scrollSmoothly\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t<\/template>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t<\/template>\n\t\t\t\t<li data-wp-each-child=\"prc-block\/table-of-contents::context.items\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list-item\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"state.isActive\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2026\/03\/11\/buddhisms-recent-decline-in-east-asia\/\" data-wp-bind--href=\"context.chapter.url\" data-wp-text=\"context.chapter.label\">Buddhism\u2019s Recent Decline in East Asia<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list sections\" data-wp-hidden=\"callbacks.hasSections\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<template data-wp-each--section=\"context.chapter.sections\">\n\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list-item\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"state.isActive\" data-wp-watch--for-current-section=\"callbacks.watchForCurrentSection\">\n\t\t\t\t<a data-wp-bind--href=\"context.section.url\" data-wp-text=\"context.section.label\" data-wp-on--click=\"callbacks.scrollSmoothly\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t<\/template>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/ol><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div data-sticky-id=\"sticky-11\" data-wp-init--sticky-support=\"prc-block\/supports::callbacks.onInit\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/supports\" class=\"wp-block-group has-ui-white-background-color has-background has-sans-serif-font-family has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained wp-container-10 is-position-sticky wp-block-hidden-desktop has-sticky-background has-sticky-background-ui-white-color has-stuck-box-shadow block-visibility-hide-large-screen prc-block-visibility__desktop\" style=\"box-shadow:var(--wp--preset--shadow--shallow)\">\n<details data-wp-context=\"{&quot;closeWhenFocusLost&quot;:true}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/details\" data-wp-on-document--click=\"actions.handleOutsideClick\" class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-container-core-details-is-layout-1f0f0af6 wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>Table of Contents<\/summary><ol style=\"padding-right:0;padding-left:0;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0 --block-gap: inherit;\" class=\"has-text-color has--color has-background has--background-color wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents\" aria-role=\"navigation\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/table-of-contents\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;items&quot;:[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;unattachedPackagePart_287113&quot;,&quot;label&quot;:&quot;Buddhism\\u2019s Recent Decline in East Asia&quot;,&quot;slug&quot;:&quot;buddhisms-recent-decline-in-east-asia&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/beta.pewresearch.org\\\/pewresearch-org\\\/religion\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/11\\\/buddhisms-recent-decline-in-east-asia\\\/&quot;,&quot;postId&quot;:287113,&quot;is_active&quot;:true,&quot;items&quot;:[],&quot;chapters&quot;:[],&quot;sections&quot;:[]}],&quot;highlightCurrentSection&quot;:false}\" data-wp-init--map-sections-to-chapters=\"callbacks.mapFoundSectionsToChapters\" data-wp-init--watch-for-section-scroll=\"callbacks.initWatchForSectionScroll\" data-wp-on-document--scroll=\"callbacks.watchForSectionScroll\">\t\t\t<template data-wp-each--chapter=\"context.items\">\n\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list-item\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"state.isActive\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a data-wp-bind--href=\"context.chapter.url\" data-wp-text=\"context.chapter.label\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list sections\" data-wp-hidden=\"callbacks.hasSections\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<template data-wp-each--section=\"context.chapter.sections\">\n\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list-item\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"state.isActive\" data-wp-watch--for-current-section=\"callbacks.watchForCurrentSection\">\n\t\t\t\t<a data-wp-bind--href=\"context.section.url\" data-wp-text=\"context.section.label\" data-wp-on--click=\"callbacks.scrollSmoothly\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t<\/template>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t<\/template>\n\t\t\t\t<li data-wp-each-child=\"prc-block\/table-of-contents::context.items\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list-item\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"state.isActive\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2026\/03\/11\/buddhisms-recent-decline-in-east-asia\/\" data-wp-bind--href=\"context.chapter.url\" data-wp-text=\"context.chapter.label\">Buddhism\u2019s Recent Decline in East Asia<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list sections\" data-wp-hidden=\"callbacks.hasSections\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<template data-wp-each--section=\"context.chapter.sections\">\n\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list-item\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"state.isActive\" data-wp-watch--for-current-section=\"callbacks.watchForCurrentSection\">\n\t\t\t\t<a data-wp-bind--href=\"context.section.url\" data-wp-text=\"context.section.label\" data-wp-on--click=\"callbacks.scrollSmoothly\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t<\/template>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/ol><\/details>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;fading-generationally&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" id=\"fading-generationally\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fading generationally<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"is-style-video wp-block-prc-block-dialog\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;10a53f1c-4c3a-40d1-9292-f39d5de3007d&quot;}\" data-wp-key=\"10a53f1c-4c3a-40d1-9292-f39d5de3007d\">\n<button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-trigger\" id=\"dialog-trigger-12\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"10a53f1c-4c3a-40d1-9292-f39d5de3007d\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClickOpen\" type=\"button\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text aligncenter is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background block-visibility-hide-large-screen block-visibility-hide-medium-screen\" style=\"background-color:#743e49\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-dominant-color=\"837366\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-288700 size-full not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #837366; object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png 1280w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=1024,1024 1024w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=405,405 405w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=200,200 200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=260,260 260w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=310,310 310w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=420,420 420w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=640,640 640w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=740,740 740w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=75,75 75w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=140,140 140w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=160,160 160w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote alignleft is-style-default has-serif-font-family has-large-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:8px;font-size:clamp(20px, 1.25rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 1.364), 32px);line-height:1.4\">I\u2019ve always thought that it\u2019s better to live focusing on this world. That\u2019s why I don\u2019t have a religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:8px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">\u2014 Sunwoo Lee, Seoul <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text aligncenter is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background block-visibility-hide-small-screen\" style=\"background-color:#743e49\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-dominant-color=\"837366\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-288700 size-full not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #837366; object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png 1280w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=1024,1024 1024w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=405,405 405w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=200,200 200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=260,260 260w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=310,310 310w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=420,420 420w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=640,640 640w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=740,740 740w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=75,75 75w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=140,140 140w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=160,160 160w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-lee.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote alignleft is-style-default has-serif-font-family has-large-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:39px;font-size:clamp(14.642px, 0.915rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.836), 22px);line-height:1.4\">I\u2019ve always thought that it\u2019s better to live focusing on this world. That\u2019s why I don\u2019t have a religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:39px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">\u2014 Sunwoo Lee, Seoul <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/button>\n\n<dialog data-wp-init--videoSupport=\"callbacks.onVideoInit\" data-wp-watch--on-close-stop-video=\"callbacks.onCloseStopVideo\" data-wp-watch--on-open-start-video=\"callbacks.onOpenStartVideo\" data-wp-watch--on-open-watch-animation-end=\"callbacks.onAnimationEnd\" style=\"border-color:#000;border-top-left-radius:15px;border-top-right-radius:15px;border-bottom-left-radius:15px;border-bottom-right-radius:15px;border-width:1px;box-shadow:var(--wp--preset--shadow--deep);--wp--style--dialog-animation-duration: 500ms\" class=\"is-size-medium is-animation-zoom wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element has-background has-ui-black-background-color has-border-color is-layout-flow wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element-is-layout-flow\" id=\"10a53f1c-4c3a-40d1-9292-f39d5de3007d\" role=\"dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" aria-labelledby=\"dialog-heading-13\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onInit\" data-wp-class--is-closing=\"state.isClosing\" data-wp-on--click=\"callbacks.onBackdropClick\" data-wp-on-document--keydown=\"callbacks.onESCKey\" data-wp-watch--on-dialog-open=\"callbacks.onOpen\" data-wp-watch--on-dialog-close=\"callbacks.onClose\"><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element__close-button\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClickClose\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Close dialog\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-xmark\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-xmark\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/button><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element__inner\"><h2 id=\"dialog-heading-13\" class=\"screen-reader-text\"><\/h2>\n\n\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-videopress jetpack-videopress-player\" style=\"\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"jetpack-videopress-player__wrapper\"> <div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"VideoPress Video Player\" aria-label=\"VideoPress Video Player\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/videopress.com\/embed\/ZuvCuDO8?cover=1&amp;autoPlay=0&amp;controls=1&amp;loop=0&amp;muted=0&amp;persistVolume=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;preloadContent=metadata&amp;useAverageColor=1&amp;posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fbeta.pewresearch.org%2Fpewresearch-org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2026%2F02%2FPR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_video-thumbnail-lee.jpg&amp;hd=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen data-resize-to-parent=\"true\" allow=\"clipboard-write\"><\/iframe><script src='https:\/\/v0.wordpress.com\/js\/next\/videopress-iframe.js?m=1770107250'><\/script><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\n<\/div><\/dialog>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sunwoo Lee,<\/strong> a college student living with her parents in a suburb of Seoul, says her grandparents are devout Buddhists, her parents less so. She does not see the point of religious practices. \u201cI tend to believe in science more than anything spiritual, so I don\u2019t believe in things that you can\u2019t see,\u201d Lee says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/06\/17\/religion-and-spirituality-in-east-asian-societies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Survey data<\/a> shows that both in Japan and South Korea, young people are less likely than older adults to consider themselves Buddhist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f5f5f5\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f5f5f5;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-05.png?resize=480,75 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-05.png?resize=782,122 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-05.png?resize=960,150 960w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-05.png?resize=1200,188 1200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-05.png?resize=1280,200 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"100\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-05.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Chart showing young people in Japan and South Korea are less likely than older adults to consider themselves Buddhist.\" class=\"wp-image-289167 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Indeed, our demographic estimates indicate that Buddhists make up <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/06\/09\/buddhist-population-change\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shrinking shares of the population<\/a> in both countries, while more and more people have no religious affiliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\"><img data-dominant-color=\"eeeeee\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #eeeeee;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-06.png?resize=480,68 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-06.png?resize=782,111 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-06.png?resize=960,137 960w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-06.png?resize=1200,171 1200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-06.png?resize=1280,182 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"91\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-06.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Chart showing that the Buddhist share of the population in Japan and South Korea has fallen between 2010 and 2020, while the religiously unaffiliated share has risen.\" class=\"wp-image-289168 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Often, religious disaffiliation is a gradual process of drifting away from one\u2019s upbringing, rather than a clean break or a deliberate conversion. Some people leave the countryside or small towns and move to big cities, losing touch with family traditions along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">In Tokyo, <strong>Junichiro Tsujinaka,<\/strong> a bar owner, says his father, grandfather and great grandfather were fishermen on the northern island of Hokkaido who all volunteered at a Buddhist temple \u2013 making offerings, collecting donations, helping to keep up the shrine. As a young boy, Tsujinaka helped with those duties. But now he rarely engages with religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI didn\u2019t really develop those kinds of habits of praying,\u201d he says. \u201cSince my brother and I moved away from our hometown, we\u2019ve left everything involving the temple and shrine responsibilities to our parents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"is-style-video wp-block-prc-block-dialog\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;cd4cb392-5601-4aba-b54b-07f1f6083aee&quot;}\" data-wp-key=\"cd4cb392-5601-4aba-b54b-07f1f6083aee\">\n<button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-trigger\" id=\"dialog-trigger-14\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"cd4cb392-5601-4aba-b54b-07f1f6083aee\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClickOpen\" type=\"button\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text aligncenter is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background block-visibility-hide-small-screen\" style=\"background-color:#357668\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-dominant-color=\"5d3a35\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-288705 size-full not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #5d3a35; object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png 1280w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=1024,1024 1024w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=405,405 405w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=200,200 200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=260,260 260w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=310,310 310w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=420,420 420w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=640,640 640w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=740,740 740w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=75,75 75w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=140,140 140w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=160,160 160w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote alignleft is-style-default has-serif-font-family has-large-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:23px;font-size:clamp(14.642px, 0.915rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.836), 22px);line-height:1.4\">Since I left home at the age of 15, I didn\u2019t have much time to see or learn from what my father had been doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:23px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">\u2014 Junichiro Tsujinaka, Tokyo<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text aligncenter is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background block-visibility-hide-large-screen block-visibility-hide-medium-screen\" style=\"background-color:#357668\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-dominant-color=\"5d3a35\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-288705 size-full not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #5d3a35; object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png 1280w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=1024,1024 1024w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=405,405 405w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=200,200 200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=260,260 260w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=310,310 310w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=420,420 420w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=640,640 640w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=740,740 740w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=75,75 75w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=140,140 140w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=160,160 160w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote alignleft is-style-default has-serif-font-family has-large-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:8px;font-size:clamp(20px, 1.25rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 1.364), 32px);line-height:1.4\">Since I left home at the age of 15, I didn\u2019t have much time to see or learn from what my father had been doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:8px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">\u2014 Junichiro Tsujinaka, Tokyo<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/button>\n\n<dialog data-wp-init--videoSupport=\"callbacks.onVideoInit\" data-wp-watch--on-close-stop-video=\"callbacks.onCloseStopVideo\" data-wp-watch--on-open-start-video=\"callbacks.onOpenStartVideo\" data-wp-watch--on-open-watch-animation-end=\"callbacks.onAnimationEnd\" style=\"--wp--style--dialog-animation-duration: 500ms\" class=\"is-size-medium is-animation-zoom wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element has-background has-ui-black-background-color is-layout-flow wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element-is-layout-flow\" id=\"cd4cb392-5601-4aba-b54b-07f1f6083aee\" role=\"dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" aria-labelledby=\"dialog-heading-15\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onInit\" data-wp-class--is-closing=\"state.isClosing\" data-wp-on--click=\"callbacks.onBackdropClick\" data-wp-on-document--keydown=\"callbacks.onESCKey\" data-wp-watch--on-dialog-open=\"callbacks.onOpen\" data-wp-watch--on-dialog-close=\"callbacks.onClose\"><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element__close-button\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClickClose\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Close dialog\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-xmark\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-xmark\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/button><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element__inner\"><h2 id=\"dialog-heading-15\" class=\"screen-reader-text\"><\/h2>\n\n\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-videopress jetpack-videopress-player\" style=\"\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"jetpack-videopress-player__wrapper\"> <div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"VideoPress Video Player\" aria-label=\"VideoPress Video Player\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/videopress.com\/embed\/uncOXEa5?cover=1&amp;autoPlay=0&amp;controls=1&amp;loop=0&amp;muted=0&amp;persistVolume=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;preloadContent=metadata&amp;useAverageColor=1&amp;posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fbeta.pewresearch.org%2Fpewresearch-org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2026%2F02%2FPR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_video-thumbnail-tsujinaka_01.jpg&amp;hd=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen data-resize-to-parent=\"true\" allow=\"clipboard-write\"><\/iframe><script src='https:\/\/v0.wordpress.com\/js\/next\/videopress-iframe.js?m=1770107250'><\/script><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\n<\/div><\/dialog>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;no-time-for-temples&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" id=\"no-time-for-temples\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">No time for temples<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Several other interviewees also said it was difficult to find time for spiritual or religious activities amid their busy careers, schoolwork and daily chores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Unlike Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which place a lot of emphasis on regular prayer and worship service, in Buddhism it is not customary to go to a temple every week. Still, temple visits and participation in Buddhist festivals have long been a core of traditional life in East Asia. <strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Jeongnam Oh,<\/strong> a retired shop owner in Seoul, says that when she was growing up in a small town, she often participated in Buddhist ceremonies and festivals. But when raising her children, Oh ran up against the pressures of modern life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t remember going to the temple with my kids,\u201d Oh says. \u201cThe kids needed to stay focused on their studies, and I had a life of my own.\u2026 It was hard to make time together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Oh says she was raised in a Buddhist family, but today she does not identify as Buddhist.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"is-style-video wp-block-prc-block-dialog\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;07e7da11-8897-48a5-ae4a-f51e6ecae5d1&quot;}\" data-wp-key=\"07e7da11-8897-48a5-ae4a-f51e6ecae5d1\">\n<button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-trigger\" id=\"dialog-trigger-16\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"07e7da11-8897-48a5-ae4a-f51e6ecae5d1\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClickOpen\" type=\"button\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text aligncenter is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background block-visibility-hide-small-screen\" style=\"background-color:#743e49\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-dominant-color=\"52403b\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-288707 size-full not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #52403b; object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png 1280w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=1024,1024 1024w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=405,405 405w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=200,200 200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=260,260 260w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=310,310 310w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=420,420 420w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=640,640 640w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=740,740 740w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=75,75 75w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=140,140 140w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=160,160 160w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote alignleft is-style-default has-serif-font-family has-large-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:39px;font-size:clamp(14.642px, 0.915rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.836), 22px);line-height:1.4\">It\u2019s not that I thought it was unnecessary to teach them. I just didn\u2019t have a chance to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:39px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">\u2014 Jeongnam Oh, Seoul<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text aligncenter is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background block-visibility-hide-large-screen block-visibility-hide-medium-screen\" style=\"background-color:#743e49\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-dominant-color=\"52403b\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-288707 size-full not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #52403b; object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png 1280w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=1024,1024 1024w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=405,405 405w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=200,200 200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=260,260 260w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=310,310 310w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=420,420 420w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=640,640 640w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=740,740 740w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=75,75 75w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=140,140 140w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=160,160 160w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_01.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote alignleft is-style-default has-serif-font-family has-large-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:8px;font-size:clamp(20px, 1.25rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 1.364), 32px);line-height:1.4\">It\u2019s not that I thought it was unnecessary to teach them. I just didn\u2019t have a chance to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:8px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">\u2014 Jeongnam Oh, Seoul<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/button>\n\n<dialog data-wp-init--videoSupport=\"callbacks.onVideoInit\" data-wp-watch--on-close-stop-video=\"callbacks.onCloseStopVideo\" data-wp-watch--on-open-start-video=\"callbacks.onOpenStartVideo\" data-wp-watch--on-open-watch-animation-end=\"callbacks.onAnimationEnd\" style=\"--wp--style--dialog-animation-duration: 500ms\" class=\"is-size-medium is-animation-zoom wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element has-background has-ui-black-background-color is-layout-flow wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element-is-layout-flow\" id=\"07e7da11-8897-48a5-ae4a-f51e6ecae5d1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" aria-labelledby=\"dialog-heading-17\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onInit\" data-wp-class--is-closing=\"state.isClosing\" data-wp-on--click=\"callbacks.onBackdropClick\" data-wp-on-document--keydown=\"callbacks.onESCKey\" data-wp-watch--on-dialog-open=\"callbacks.onOpen\" data-wp-watch--on-dialog-close=\"callbacks.onClose\"><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element__close-button\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClickClose\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Close dialog\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-xmark\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-xmark\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/button><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element__inner\"><h2 id=\"dialog-heading-17\" class=\"screen-reader-text\"><\/h2>\n\n\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-videopress jetpack-videopress-player\" style=\"\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"jetpack-videopress-player__wrapper\"> <div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"VideoPress Video Player\" aria-label=\"VideoPress Video Player\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/videopress.com\/embed\/2vyWkNH5?cover=1&amp;autoPlay=0&amp;controls=1&amp;loop=0&amp;muted=0&amp;persistVolume=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;preloadContent=metadata&amp;useAverageColor=1&amp;posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fbeta.pewresearch.org%2Fpewresearch-org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2026%2F02%2FPR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_video-thumbnail-oh-01.jpg&amp;hd=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen data-resize-to-parent=\"true\" allow=\"clipboard-write\"><\/iframe><script src='https:\/\/v0.wordpress.com\/js\/next\/videopress-iframe.js?m=1770107250'><\/script><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\n<\/div><\/dialog>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Some sociologists have suggested that religious participation in East Asia is declining from one generation to the next. Our 2023 survey in Japan and South Korea shows that younger adults in these countries are much less likely than their elders to say they visit temples \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f2f2f2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f2f2f2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-07.png?resize=480,75 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-07.png?resize=782,122 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-07.png?resize=960,150 960w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-07.png?resize=1200,188 1200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-07.png?resize=1280,200 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"100\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-07.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Chart showing younger adults in Japan and South Korea are much less likely than their elders to say they visit temples or pagodas.\" class=\"wp-image-289169 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;&#8230; or pray to Buddha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f1f1f1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f1f1f1;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-08.png?resize=480,75 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-08.png?resize=782,122 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-08.png?resize=960,150 960w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-08.png?resize=1200,188 1200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-08.png?resize=1280,200 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"100\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-08.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Chart showing younger adults in Japan and South Korea are much less likely than their elders to say they pray to Buddha.\" class=\"wp-image-289170 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Aside from formal practices like visiting temples and praying, there are many other cultural traditions in East Asia that involve Buddhist beliefs or deities. These, too, are losing relevance to young people, according to our interviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">In Japan, many Buddhist households have a family altar, known as a <em>butsudan<\/em>. These small shrines typically are made of wood and contain representations of the Buddha or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lionsroar.com\/buddhism\/bodhisattva\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bodhisattvas<\/a>, along with photos or tablets commemorating deceased relatives. Traditionally, family members performed daily rituals at these altars, such as burning incense, lighting candles and leaving offerings of food, water or fresh flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\"><img data-dominant-color=\"573e33\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #573e33;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-09.jpg?resize=480,270 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-09.jpg?resize=782,440 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-09.jpg?resize=960,540 960w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-09.jpg?resize=1200,675 1200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-09.jpg?resize=1280,720 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"360\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-09.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Photo showing Japanese man at his Buddhist family altar, or butsudan.\" class=\"wp-image-289171 not-transparent\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Japanese man at his Buddhist family altar, or <em>butsudan<\/em>. (recep-bg via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Atsushi Oda,<\/strong> a Japanese book editor, says that after his mother passed away, his father assumed the task of maintaining the <em>butsudan<\/em>. But Oda does not expect to take over this duty from his father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI imagine that I will probably change the altars a little in some way, making them different so they don\u2019t require as much time to take care of,\u201d Oda says.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"is-style-video wp-block-prc-block-dialog\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;89e674c4-c031-4760-ab81-77d7f5dde186&quot;}\" data-wp-key=\"89e674c4-c031-4760-ab81-77d7f5dde186\">\n<button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-trigger\" id=\"dialog-trigger-18\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"89e674c4-c031-4760-ab81-77d7f5dde186\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClickOpen\" type=\"button\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text aligncenter is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background block-visibility-hide-small-screen\" style=\"background-color:#357668\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-dominant-color=\"675640\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-288709 size-full not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #675640; object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png 1280w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=1024,1024 1024w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=405,405 405w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=200,200 200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=260,260 260w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=310,310 310w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=420,420 420w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=640,640 640w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=740,740 740w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=75,75 75w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=140,140 140w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=160,160 160w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote alignleft is-style-default has-serif-font-family has-large-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:54px;font-size:clamp(14.642px, 0.915rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.836), 22px);line-height:1.4\">I would do away with the physical altars and make them digital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:54px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">\u2014 Atsushi Oda, Tokyo<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text aligncenter is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background block-visibility-hide-large-screen block-visibility-hide-medium-screen\" style=\"background-color:#357668\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-dominant-color=\"675640\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-288709 size-full not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #675640; object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png 1280w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=1024,1024 1024w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=405,405 405w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=200,200 200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=260,260 260w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=310,310 310w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=420,420 420w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=640,640 640w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=740,740 740w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=75,75 75w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=140,140 140w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=160,160 160w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oda.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote alignleft is-style-default has-serif-font-family has-large-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:23px;font-size:clamp(20px, 1.25rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 1.364), 32px);line-height:1.4\">I would do away with the physical altars and make them digital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:23px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">\u2014 Atsushi Oda, Tokyo<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/button>\n\n<dialog data-wp-init--videoSupport=\"callbacks.onVideoInit\" data-wp-watch--on-close-stop-video=\"callbacks.onCloseStopVideo\" data-wp-watch--on-open-start-video=\"callbacks.onOpenStartVideo\" data-wp-watch--on-open-watch-animation-end=\"callbacks.onAnimationEnd\" style=\"--wp--style--dialog-animation-duration: 500ms\" class=\"is-size-medium is-animation-zoom wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element has-background has-ui-black-background-color is-layout-flow wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element-is-layout-flow\" id=\"89e674c4-c031-4760-ab81-77d7f5dde186\" role=\"dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" aria-labelledby=\"dialog-heading-19\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onInit\" data-wp-class--is-closing=\"state.isClosing\" data-wp-on--click=\"callbacks.onBackdropClick\" data-wp-on-document--keydown=\"callbacks.onESCKey\" data-wp-watch--on-dialog-open=\"callbacks.onOpen\" data-wp-watch--on-dialog-close=\"callbacks.onClose\"><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element__close-button\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClickClose\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Close dialog\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-xmark\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-xmark\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/button><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element__inner\"><h2 id=\"dialog-heading-19\" class=\"screen-reader-text\"><\/h2>\n\n\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-videopress jetpack-videopress-player\" style=\"\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"jetpack-videopress-player__wrapper\"> <div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"VideoPress Video Player\" aria-label=\"VideoPress Video Player\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/videopress.com\/embed\/G7yqzBj1?cover=1&amp;autoPlay=0&amp;controls=1&amp;loop=0&amp;muted=0&amp;persistVolume=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;preloadContent=metadata&amp;useAverageColor=1&amp;hd=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen data-resize-to-parent=\"true\" allow=\"clipboard-write\"><\/iframe><script src='https:\/\/v0.wordpress.com\/js\/next\/videopress-iframe.js?m=1770107250'><\/script><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\n<\/div><\/dialog>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;smaller-families&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" id=\"smaller-families\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Smaller families<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">A restaurant owner in Tokyo, <strong>Chieko Nakajima,<\/strong> notes that \u201cnowadays, Japanese families are smaller and the number of children is decreasing.\u201d When she was a child, religious customs and household traditions seemed to be passed down effortlessly, from generation to generation. That\u2019s not the case anymore, she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe family system is breaking down, so people don\u2019t see their relatives anymore,\u201d Nakajima says. \u201cThat\u2019s why those unique family traditions, at least here in Tokyo, are quickly fading away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"is-style-video wp-block-prc-block-dialog\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;2a1f6719-f599-4e6c-97c7-40f76e25c55a&quot;}\" data-wp-key=\"2a1f6719-f599-4e6c-97c7-40f76e25c55a\">\n<button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-trigger\" id=\"dialog-trigger-20\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"2a1f6719-f599-4e6c-97c7-40f76e25c55a\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClickOpen\" type=\"button\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text aligncenter is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background block-visibility-hide-small-screen\" style=\"background-color:#357668\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-dominant-color=\"564b3d\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-288708 size-full not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #564b3d; object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png 1280w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=1024,1024 1024w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=405,405 405w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=200,200 200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=260,260 260w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=310,310 310w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=420,420 420w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=640,640 640w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=740,740 740w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=75,75 75w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=140,140 140w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=160,160 160w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote alignleft is-style-default has-serif-font-family has-large-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:54px;font-size:clamp(14.642px, 0.915rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.836), 22px);line-height:1.4\">Something uniquely Japanese is in danger of being lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:54px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">\u2014 Chieko Nakajima, Tokyo<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text aligncenter is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background block-visibility-hide-large-screen block-visibility-hide-medium-screen\" style=\"background-color:#357668\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-dominant-color=\"564b3d\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-288708 size-full not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #564b3d; object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png 1280w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=1024,1024 1024w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=405,405 405w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=200,200 200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=260,260 260w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=310,310 310w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=420,420 420w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=640,640 640w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=740,740 740w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=75,75 75w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=140,140 140w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=160,160 160w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-nakajima.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote alignleft is-style-default has-serif-font-family has-large-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:37px;font-size:clamp(20px, 1.25rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 1.364), 32px);line-height:1.4\">Something uniquely Japanese is in danger of being lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:37px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">\u2014 Chieko Nakajima, Tokyo<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/button>\n\n<dialog data-wp-init--videoSupport=\"callbacks.onVideoInit\" data-wp-watch--on-close-stop-video=\"callbacks.onCloseStopVideo\" data-wp-watch--on-open-start-video=\"callbacks.onOpenStartVideo\" data-wp-watch--on-open-watch-animation-end=\"callbacks.onAnimationEnd\" style=\"--wp--style--dialog-animation-duration: 500ms\" class=\"is-size-medium is-animation-zoom wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element has-background has-ui-black-background-color is-layout-flow wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element-is-layout-flow\" id=\"2a1f6719-f599-4e6c-97c7-40f76e25c55a\" role=\"dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" aria-labelledby=\"dialog-heading-21\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onInit\" data-wp-class--is-closing=\"state.isClosing\" data-wp-on--click=\"callbacks.onBackdropClick\" data-wp-on-document--keydown=\"callbacks.onESCKey\" data-wp-watch--on-dialog-open=\"callbacks.onOpen\" data-wp-watch--on-dialog-close=\"callbacks.onClose\"><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element__close-button\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClickClose\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Close dialog\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-xmark\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-xmark\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/button><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element__inner\"><h2 id=\"dialog-heading-21\" class=\"screen-reader-text\"><\/h2>\n\n\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-videopress jetpack-videopress-player\" style=\"\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"jetpack-videopress-player__wrapper\"> <div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"VideoPress Video Player\" aria-label=\"VideoPress Video Player\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/videopress.com\/embed\/YarEftNF?cover=1&amp;autoPlay=0&amp;controls=1&amp;loop=0&amp;muted=0&amp;persistVolume=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;preloadContent=metadata&amp;useAverageColor=1&amp;posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fbeta.pewresearch.org%2Fpewresearch-org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2026%2F02%2FPR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_video-thumbnail-nakajima.jpg&amp;hd=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen data-resize-to-parent=\"true\" allow=\"clipboard-write\"><\/iframe><script src='https:\/\/v0.wordpress.com\/js\/next\/videopress-iframe.js?m=1770107250'><\/script><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\n<\/div><\/dialog>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;negative-views-of-religion&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" id=\"negative-views-of-religion\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"> Negative views of religion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Several people we talked to expressed negative views about religion in general, which may have influenced their attitudes about Buddhism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Rogeon Hong,<\/strong> a studio technician in Seoul, associates religion with superstition and <a href=\"https:\/\/koreajoongangdaily.joins.com\/news\/2024-10-12\/national\/socialAffairs\/Gods-spirits-and-fortune-How-shamanism-gives-Koreans-what-they-need\/2153036\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shamanism<\/a>. He says his father identifies as Buddhist but engages in shamanistic practices, such as carrying amulets for good luck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy dad \u2026 burns this bad-smelling incense that\u2019s supposed to ward off evil energy, and he hangs up strange images and protective talismans,\u201d Hong says. \u201cThere\u2019s one [amulet] in my wallet that he placed there himself. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s very effective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Buddhist temples in South Korea sometimes house shamanic deities. Both traditions share some practices, such as venerating ancestors and performing rituals to ward off misfortune or bring blessings.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"is-style-video wp-block-prc-block-dialog\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;1ccf7348-b49d-449f-8cae-954ecaddac39&quot;}\" data-wp-key=\"1ccf7348-b49d-449f-8cae-954ecaddac39\">\n<button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-trigger\" id=\"dialog-trigger-22\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"1ccf7348-b49d-449f-8cae-954ecaddac39\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClickOpen\" type=\"button\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text aligncenter is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background block-visibility-hide-small-screen\" style=\"background-color:#743e49\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-dominant-color=\"523d37\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-288701 size-full not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #523d37; object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png 1280w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=1024,1024 1024w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=405,405 405w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=200,200 200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=260,260 260w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=310,310 310w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=420,420 420w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=640,640 640w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=740,740 740w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=75,75 75w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=140,140 140w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=160,160 160w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote alignleft is-style-default has-serif-font-family has-large-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:54px;font-size:clamp(14.642px, 0.915rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.836), 22px);line-height:1.4\">[My dad] tends to blindly believe in a shamanistic form of Buddhism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:54px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">\u2014 Rogeon Hong, Seoul<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text aligncenter is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background block-visibility-hide-large-screen block-visibility-hide-medium-screen\" style=\"background-color:#743e49\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-dominant-color=\"523d37\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-288701 size-full not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #523d37; object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png 1280w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=1024,1024 1024w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=405,405 405w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=200,200 200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=260,260 260w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=310,310 310w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=420,420 420w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=640,640 640w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=740,740 740w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=75,75 75w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=140,140 140w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=160,160 160w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-hong.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote alignleft is-style-default has-serif-font-family has-large-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:23px;font-size:clamp(20px, 1.25rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 1.364), 32px);line-height:1.4\">[My dad] tends to blindly believe in a shamanistic form of Buddhism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:23px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">\u2014 Rogeon Hong, Seoul<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/button>\n\n<dialog data-wp-init--videoSupport=\"callbacks.onVideoInit\" data-wp-watch--on-close-stop-video=\"callbacks.onCloseStopVideo\" data-wp-watch--on-open-start-video=\"callbacks.onOpenStartVideo\" data-wp-watch--on-open-watch-animation-end=\"callbacks.onAnimationEnd\" style=\"--wp--style--dialog-animation-duration: 500ms\" class=\"is-size-medium is-animation-zoom wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element has-background has-ui-black-background-color is-layout-flow wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element-is-layout-flow\" id=\"1ccf7348-b49d-449f-8cae-954ecaddac39\" role=\"dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" aria-labelledby=\"dialog-heading-23\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onInit\" data-wp-class--is-closing=\"state.isClosing\" data-wp-on--click=\"callbacks.onBackdropClick\" data-wp-on-document--keydown=\"callbacks.onESCKey\" data-wp-watch--on-dialog-open=\"callbacks.onOpen\" data-wp-watch--on-dialog-close=\"callbacks.onClose\"><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element__close-button\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClickClose\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Close dialog\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-xmark\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-xmark\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/button><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element__inner\"><h2 id=\"dialog-heading-23\" class=\"screen-reader-text\"><\/h2>\n\n\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-videopress jetpack-videopress-player\" style=\"\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"jetpack-videopress-player__wrapper\"> <div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"VideoPress Video Player\" aria-label=\"VideoPress Video Player\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/videopress.com\/embed\/Sfw36NuH?cover=1&amp;autoPlay=0&amp;controls=1&amp;loop=0&amp;muted=0&amp;persistVolume=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;preloadContent=metadata&amp;useAverageColor=1&amp;posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fbeta.pewresearch.org%2Fpewresearch-org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2026%2F02%2FPR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_video-thumbnail-hong.jpg&amp;hd=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen data-resize-to-parent=\"true\" allow=\"clipboard-write\"><\/iframe><script src='https:\/\/v0.wordpress.com\/js\/next\/videopress-iframe.js?m=1770107250'><\/script><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\n<\/div><\/dialog>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">In Japan, people told us, the whole idea of religion has been tarnished by violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Masami Sato,<\/strong> a TV reporter in Tokyo, says one of his first impressions of religion was the Aum Shinrikyo group\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-asia-35975069\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1995 sarin gas attack<\/a> on the Tokyo subway system. <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/book\/11438\/chapter-abstract\/160124982?redirectedFrom=fulltext\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Aum Shinrikyo<\/a>, now known as Aleph, is a new religious movement that incorporates elements of multiple religions, including Buddhism.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"is-style-video wp-block-prc-block-dialog\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;a830e832-118a-4bf3-b7dc-9ce5b2370793&quot;}\" data-wp-key=\"a830e832-118a-4bf3-b7dc-9ce5b2370793\">\n<button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-trigger\" id=\"dialog-trigger-24\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"a830e832-118a-4bf3-b7dc-9ce5b2370793\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClickOpen\" type=\"button\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text aligncenter is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background block-visibility-hide-small-screen\" style=\"background-color:#357668\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-dominant-color=\"9e8066\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-288703 size-full not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #9e8066; object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png 1280w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=1024,1024 1024w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=405,405 405w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=200,200 200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=260,260 260w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=310,310 310w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=420,420 420w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=640,640 640w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=740,740 740w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=75,75 75w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=140,140 140w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=160,160 160w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote alignleft is-style-default has-serif-font-family has-large-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:53px;font-size:clamp(14.642px, 0.915rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.836), 22px);line-height:1.4\">It was so obviously a cult, even though it claimed to be Buddhist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:53px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">\u2014 Masami Sato, Tokyo<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text aligncenter is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background block-visibility-hide-large-screen block-visibility-hide-medium-screen\" style=\"background-color:#357668\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-dominant-color=\"9e8066\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-288703 size-full not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #9e8066; object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png 1280w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=1024,1024 1024w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=405,405 405w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=200,200 200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=260,260 260w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=310,310 310w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=420,420 420w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=640,640 640w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=740,740 740w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=75,75 75w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=140,140 140w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=160,160 160w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_01.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote alignleft is-style-default has-serif-font-family has-large-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:23px;font-size:clamp(20px, 1.25rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 1.364), 32px);line-height:1.4\">It was so obviously a cult, even though it claimed to be Buddhist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:23px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">\u2014 Masami Sato, Tokyo<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/button>\n\n<dialog data-wp-init--videoSupport=\"callbacks.onVideoInit\" data-wp-watch--on-close-stop-video=\"callbacks.onCloseStopVideo\" data-wp-watch--on-open-start-video=\"callbacks.onOpenStartVideo\" data-wp-watch--on-open-watch-animation-end=\"callbacks.onAnimationEnd\" style=\"--wp--style--dialog-animation-duration: 500ms\" class=\"is-size-medium is-animation-zoom wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element has-background has-ui-black-background-color is-layout-flow wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element-is-layout-flow\" id=\"a830e832-118a-4bf3-b7dc-9ce5b2370793\" role=\"dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" aria-labelledby=\"dialog-heading-25\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onInit\" data-wp-class--is-closing=\"state.isClosing\" data-wp-on--click=\"callbacks.onBackdropClick\" data-wp-on-document--keydown=\"callbacks.onESCKey\" data-wp-watch--on-dialog-open=\"callbacks.onOpen\" data-wp-watch--on-dialog-close=\"callbacks.onClose\"><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element__close-button\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClickClose\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Close dialog\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-xmark\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-xmark\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/button><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element__inner\"><h2 id=\"dialog-heading-25\" class=\"screen-reader-text\"><\/h2>\n\n\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-videopress jetpack-videopress-player\" style=\"\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"jetpack-videopress-player__wrapper\"> <div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"VideoPress Video Player\" aria-label=\"VideoPress Video Player\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/videopress.com\/embed\/JjFnAbGy?cover=1&amp;autoPlay=0&amp;controls=1&amp;loop=0&amp;muted=0&amp;persistVolume=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;preloadContent=metadata&amp;useAverageColor=1&amp;posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fbeta.pewresearch.org%2Fpewresearch-org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2026%2F02%2FPR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_video-thumbnail-sato_01.jpg&amp;hd=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen data-resize-to-parent=\"true\" allow=\"clipboard-write\"><\/iframe><script src='https:\/\/v0.wordpress.com\/js\/next\/videopress-iframe.js?m=1770107250'><\/script><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\n<\/div><\/dialog>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;continuing-connections&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" id=\"continuing-connections\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Continuing connections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s no doubt that as a religion, Buddhism\u2019s hold on East Asian societies is sliding, particularly when looking at young people\u2019s rates of Buddhist self-identification and participation in activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">But several people we interviewed said that even though they no longer call themselves Buddhists, they still feel a cultural connection with Buddhism and are attracted to some of its teachings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Sato, for example, says he\u2019s begun to rethink the very negative view of religion he developed as a child. He still doesn\u2019t believe in heaven, hell or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/karma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">karma<\/a>. But now, as an adult, he\u2019s intrigued by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lionsroar.com\/buddhism\/rebirth-reincarnation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reincarnation<\/a>, a central tenet of Buddhism. \u201cIt\u2019s not that I believe in reincarnation because of some religion,\u201d he says. \u201cBut more like, through my own internal dialogues, thinking, what happens to people when they die?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"is-style-video wp-block-prc-block-dialog\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;9e2ea9c7-e74d-42c5-8666-a91f302590cb&quot;}\" data-wp-key=\"9e2ea9c7-e74d-42c5-8666-a91f302590cb\">\n<button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-trigger\" id=\"dialog-trigger-26\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"9e2ea9c7-e74d-42c5-8666-a91f302590cb\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClickOpen\" type=\"button\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text aligncenter is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background block-visibility-hide-small-screen\" style=\"background-color:#357668\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-dominant-color=\"7e655b\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-288702 size-full not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #7e655b; object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png 1280w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=1024,1024 1024w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=405,405 405w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=200,200 200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=260,260 260w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=310,310 310w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=420,420 420w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=640,640 640w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=740,740 740w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=75,75 75w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=140,140 140w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=160,160 160w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote alignleft is-style-default has-serif-font-family has-large-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:53px;font-size:clamp(14.642px, 0.915rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.836), 22px);line-height:1.4\">No one can prove reincarnation, but no one can disprove it either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:53px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">\u2014 Masami Sato, Tokyo<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text aligncenter is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background block-visibility-hide-large-screen block-visibility-hide-medium-screen\" style=\"background-color:#357668\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-dominant-color=\"7e655b\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-288702 size-full not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #7e655b; object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png 1280w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=1024,1024 1024w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=405,405 405w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=200,200 200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=260,260 260w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=310,310 310w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=420,420 420w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=640,640 640w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=740,740 740w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=75,75 75w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=140,140 140w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=160,160 160w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-sato_02.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote alignleft is-style-default has-serif-font-family has-large-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:23px;font-size:clamp(20px, 1.25rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 1.364), 32px);line-height:1.4\">No one can prove reincarnation, but no one can disprove it either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:23px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">\u2014 Masami Sato, Tokyo<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/button>\n\n<dialog data-wp-init--videoSupport=\"callbacks.onVideoInit\" data-wp-watch--on-close-stop-video=\"callbacks.onCloseStopVideo\" data-wp-watch--on-open-start-video=\"callbacks.onOpenStartVideo\" data-wp-watch--on-open-watch-animation-end=\"callbacks.onAnimationEnd\" style=\"--wp--style--dialog-animation-duration: 500ms\" class=\"is-size-medium is-animation-zoom wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element has-background has-ui-black-background-color is-layout-flow wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element-is-layout-flow\" id=\"9e2ea9c7-e74d-42c5-8666-a91f302590cb\" role=\"dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" aria-labelledby=\"dialog-heading-27\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onInit\" data-wp-class--is-closing=\"state.isClosing\" data-wp-on--click=\"callbacks.onBackdropClick\" data-wp-on-document--keydown=\"callbacks.onESCKey\" data-wp-watch--on-dialog-open=\"callbacks.onOpen\" data-wp-watch--on-dialog-close=\"callbacks.onClose\"><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element__close-button\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClickClose\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Close dialog\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-xmark\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-xmark\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/button><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element__inner\"><h2 id=\"dialog-heading-27\" class=\"screen-reader-text\"><\/h2>\n\n\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-videopress jetpack-videopress-player\" style=\"\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"jetpack-videopress-player__wrapper\"> <div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"VideoPress Video Player\" aria-label=\"VideoPress Video Player\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/videopress.com\/embed\/s1aI12TH?cover=1&amp;autoPlay=0&amp;controls=1&amp;loop=0&amp;muted=0&amp;persistVolume=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;preloadContent=metadata&amp;useAverageColor=1&amp;posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fbeta.pewresearch.org%2Fpewresearch-org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2026%2F02%2FPR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_video-thumbnail-sato_02.jpg&amp;hd=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen data-resize-to-parent=\"true\" allow=\"clipboard-write\"><\/iframe><script src='https:\/\/v0.wordpress.com\/js\/next\/videopress-iframe.js?m=1770107250'><\/script><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\n<\/div><\/dialog>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">In Tokyo, Tsujinaka sometimes visits a temple in his neighborhood because it helps him relax. When he comes across a Buddhist festival, he buys a few <em>omamori<\/em> \u2013 good luck charms often sold at Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines \u2013 as souvenirs for friends.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"is-style-video wp-block-prc-block-dialog\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;3b7bf3bc-55a8-417e-bdb7-8a922f7ca228&quot;}\" data-wp-key=\"3b7bf3bc-55a8-417e-bdb7-8a922f7ca228\">\n<button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-trigger\" id=\"dialog-trigger-28\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"3b7bf3bc-55a8-417e-bdb7-8a922f7ca228\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClickOpen\" type=\"button\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text aligncenter is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background block-visibility-hide-small-screen\" style=\"background-color:#357668\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-dominant-color=\"583835\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-288704 size-full not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #583835; object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png 1280w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=1024,1024 1024w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=405,405 405w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=200,200 200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=260,260 260w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=310,310 310w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=420,420 420w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=640,640 640w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=740,740 740w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=75,75 75w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=140,140 140w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=160,160 160w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote alignleft is-style-default has-serif-font-family has-large-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:7px;font-size:clamp(14.642px, 0.915rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.836), 22px);line-height:1.4\">There\u2019s a big, old temple nearby that I\u2019ll sometimes visit. But it\u2019s not like I go there to pray. I just like the atmosphere, the peaceful air, the way it feels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:7px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">\u2014 Junichiro Tsujinaka, Tokyo<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text aligncenter is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background block-visibility-hide-large-screen block-visibility-hide-medium-screen\" style=\"background-color:#357668\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-dominant-color=\"583835\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-288704 size-full not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #583835; object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png 1280w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=1024,1024 1024w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=405,405 405w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=200,200 200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=260,260 260w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=310,310 310w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=420,420 420w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=640,640 640w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=740,740 740w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=75,75 75w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=140,140 140w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=160,160 160w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote alignleft is-style-default has-serif-font-family has-large-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:clamp(20px, 1.25rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 1.364), 32px);line-height:1.4\">There\u2019s a big, old temple nearby that I\u2019ll sometimes visit. But it\u2019s not like I go there to pray. I just like the atmosphere, the peaceful air, the way it feels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">\u2014 Junichiro Tsujinaka, Tokyo<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/button>\n\n<dialog data-wp-init--videoSupport=\"callbacks.onVideoInit\" data-wp-watch--on-close-stop-video=\"callbacks.onCloseStopVideo\" data-wp-watch--on-open-start-video=\"callbacks.onOpenStartVideo\" data-wp-watch--on-open-watch-animation-end=\"callbacks.onAnimationEnd\" style=\"--wp--style--dialog-animation-duration: 500ms\" class=\"is-size-medium is-animation-zoom wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element has-background has-ui-black-background-color is-layout-flow wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element-is-layout-flow\" id=\"3b7bf3bc-55a8-417e-bdb7-8a922f7ca228\" role=\"dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" aria-labelledby=\"dialog-heading-29\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onInit\" data-wp-class--is-closing=\"state.isClosing\" data-wp-on--click=\"callbacks.onBackdropClick\" data-wp-on-document--keydown=\"callbacks.onESCKey\" data-wp-watch--on-dialog-open=\"callbacks.onOpen\" data-wp-watch--on-dialog-close=\"callbacks.onClose\"><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element__close-button\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClickClose\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Close dialog\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-xmark\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-xmark\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/button><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element__inner\"><h2 id=\"dialog-heading-29\" class=\"screen-reader-text\"><\/h2>\n\n\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-videopress jetpack-videopress-player\" style=\"\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"jetpack-videopress-player__wrapper\"> <div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"VideoPress Video Player\" aria-label=\"VideoPress Video Player\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/videopress.com\/embed\/siaeQ6bg?cover=1&amp;autoPlay=0&amp;controls=1&amp;loop=0&amp;muted=0&amp;persistVolume=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;preloadContent=metadata&amp;useAverageColor=1&amp;posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fbeta.pewresearch.org%2Fpewresearch-org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2026%2F02%2FPR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_video-thumbnail-tsujinaka_02.jpg&amp;hd=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen data-resize-to-parent=\"true\" allow=\"clipboard-write\"><\/iframe><script src='https:\/\/v0.wordpress.com\/js\/next\/videopress-iframe.js?m=1770107250'><\/script><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\n<\/div><\/dialog>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/06\/17\/religion-as-a-way-of-life\/#feeling-connected-to-one-or-more-religions-or-philosophies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pew Research Center surveys<\/a> find that around a third of religiously unaffiliated people in Japan, and four-in-ten in South Korea, feel an affinity for Buddhist ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e8e7e7\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e8e7e7;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-010.png?resize=480,106 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-010.png?resize=782,172 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-010.png?resize=960,212 960w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-010.png?resize=1200,264 1200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-010.png?resize=1280,282 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"141\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_0-010.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Chart showing that around a third of religiously unaffiliated people in Japan, and four-in-ten in South Korea, feel an affinity for Buddhist ways.\" class=\"wp-image-289172 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">In Seoul, Oh says she continues to lean on her Buddhist beliefs for comfort. \u201cI guess it\u2019s what I grew up with, and it\u2019s still there with me,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"is-style-video wp-block-prc-block-dialog\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;d5fa6713-48f6-4b3f-853f-1edef3a8965d&quot;}\" data-wp-key=\"d5fa6713-48f6-4b3f-853f-1edef3a8965d\">\n<button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-trigger\" id=\"dialog-trigger-30\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"d5fa6713-48f6-4b3f-853f-1edef3a8965d\" data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isOpen\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClickOpen\" type=\"button\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text aligncenter is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background block-visibility-hide-small-screen\" style=\"background-color:#743e49\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-dominant-color=\"54413c\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-288706 size-full not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #54413c; object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png 1280w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=1024,1024 1024w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=405,405 405w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=200,200 200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=260,260 260w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=310,310 310w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=420,420 420w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=640,640 640w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=740,740 740w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=75,75 75w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=140,140 140w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=160,160 160w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote alignleft is-style-default has-serif-font-family has-large-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:23px;font-size:clamp(14.642px, 0.915rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.836), 22px);line-height:1.4\">I wouldn\u2019t say I\u2019m a Buddhist, but \u2026 the prayer I have in my heart, I think still leans toward Buddhism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:23px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">\u2014 Jeongnam Oh, Seoul<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text aligncenter is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background block-visibility-hide-large-screen block-visibility-hide-medium-screen\" style=\"background-color:#743e49\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-dominant-color=\"54413c\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-288706 size-full not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #54413c; object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png 1280w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=1024,1024 1024w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=405,405 405w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=200,200 200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=260,260 260w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=310,310 310w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=420,420 420w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=640,640 640w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=740,740 740w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=75,75 75w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=140,140 140w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=160,160 160w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/PR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_essay-thumbnail-oh_02.png?resize=320,320 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote alignleft is-style-default has-serif-font-family has-large-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:8px;font-size:clamp(20px, 1.25rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 1.364), 32px);line-height:1.4\">I wouldn\u2019t say I\u2019m a Buddhist, but \u2026 the prayer I have in my heart, I think still leans toward Buddhism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-bottom:8px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">\u2014 Jeongnam Oh, Seoul<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/button>\n\n<dialog data-wp-init--videoSupport=\"callbacks.onVideoInit\" data-wp-watch--on-close-stop-video=\"callbacks.onCloseStopVideo\" data-wp-watch--on-open-start-video=\"callbacks.onOpenStartVideo\" data-wp-watch--on-open-watch-animation-end=\"callbacks.onAnimationEnd\" style=\"--wp--style--dialog-animation-duration: 500ms\" class=\"is-size-medium is-animation-zoom wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element has-background has-ui-black-background-color is-layout-flow wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element-is-layout-flow\" id=\"d5fa6713-48f6-4b3f-853f-1edef3a8965d\" role=\"dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" aria-labelledby=\"dialog-heading-31\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/dialog\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onInit\" data-wp-class--is-closing=\"state.isClosing\" data-wp-on--click=\"callbacks.onBackdropClick\" data-wp-on-document--keydown=\"callbacks.onESCKey\" data-wp-watch--on-dialog-open=\"callbacks.onOpen\" data-wp-watch--on-dialog-close=\"callbacks.onClose\"><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element__close-button\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClickClose\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Close dialog\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-xmark\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-xmark\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/button><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-dialog-element__inner\"><h2 id=\"dialog-heading-31\" class=\"screen-reader-text\"><\/h2>\n\n\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-jetpack-videopress jetpack-videopress-player\" style=\"\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"jetpack-videopress-player__wrapper\"> <div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"VideoPress Video Player\" aria-label=\"VideoPress Video Player\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/videopress.com\/embed\/1RC6csUn?cover=1&amp;autoPlay=0&amp;controls=1&amp;loop=0&amp;muted=0&amp;persistVolume=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;preloadContent=metadata&amp;useAverageColor=1&amp;posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fbeta.pewresearch.org%2Fpewresearch-org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2026%2F02%2FPR_2026.03.11_buddhism-decline-east-asia_video-thumbnail-oh_02.jpg&amp;hd=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen data-resize-to-parent=\"true\" allow=\"clipboard-write\"><\/iframe><script src='https:\/\/v0.wordpress.com\/js\/next\/videopress-iframe.js?m=1770107250'><\/script><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\n<\/div><\/dialog>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-style-plus-icon has-border-color has-ui-gray-light-border-color has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-background has-sans-serif-font-family is-layout-flow wp-container-core-details-is-layout-61b01db2 wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:1px;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);font-size:clamp(0.875em, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 0.2em) * 0.009), 0.88em);\"><summary>About this project<\/summary>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This essay grew out of Pew Research Center surveys in East Asia, which found that large numbers of people in several places were raised in Buddhist families but no longer identify as Buddhists today. To understand why, we video-recorded extensive interviews with more than a dozen people in Japan and South Korea from Oct. 17 to 28, 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The interviews were done mostly in people\u2019s homes and workplaces, though some also took place at Buddhist temples or shrines. All the interviews were done in Japanese and Korean and then translated into English. We chose participants from a range of ages and occupations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The survey data and demographic estimates cited in this essay come from the following Pew Research Center reports:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/06\/09\/how-the-global-religious-landscape-changed-from-2010-to-2020\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How the Global Religious Landscape Changed From 2010 to 2020<\/a> \u2013 an analysis of more than 2,700 censuses and surveys worldwide (2025)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/03\/26\/around-the-world-many-people-are-leaving-their-childhood-religions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Around the World, Many People Are Leaving Their Childhood Religions<\/a> \u2013 surveys of adults in 36 countries (2024)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/06\/17\/religion-and-spirituality-in-east-asian-societies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Religion and Spirituality in East Asian Societies<\/a> \u2013 surveys of adults in East Asia (2023)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our analyses of religion around the world typically focus on seven religious categories: Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, other religions (an umbrella category that includes Baha\u2019is, Daoists, Jains, Sikhs, adherents of folk religions and numerous other groups), and those who do not formally identify with a religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more about Pew Research Center<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<h2 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;acknowledgments&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" id=\"acknowledgments\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Acknowledgments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder. This essay was produced by the Center as part of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/topic\/religion\/religious-demographics\/pew-templeton-global-religious-futures-project\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures project<\/a>, which analyzes religious change and its impact on societies around the world. Funding for this phase of the Global Religious Futures project came from The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John Templeton Foundation (grant 62287). This publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">This essay was a collaborative effort by staff at Pew Research Center. It was written by Dalia Fahmy and Yunping Tong and edited by Alan Cooperman. Conrad Hackett provided valuable expertise and feedback. Bill Webster contributed to the design and created the graphics. The essay was produced by Justine Coleman and Shannon Greenwood. It was copy edited by David Kent and Rebecca Leppert. Isaac Lamoreaux and Jonathan Evans number-checked and fact-checked content. Kim Arias reviewed videos. Emma Kikuchi and Eugenie Park assisted with translations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Communications and outreach support were provided by Hannah Taber and Talia Price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">In addition, the Center is grateful to Koki Shimizu, assistant professor of sociology at Doshisha University in Japan, who provided advice and linguistic support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Videos and photographs were produced by Grace Creek Media and documentary film producer John Sorensen.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-prc-block-doi-citation\"><h5>RECOMMENDED CITATION:<\/h5><p>Fahmy, Dalia, Yunping Tong, Bill Webster and Justine Coleman.  2026.  &#8220;Buddhism&#8217;s Recent Decline in East Asia.&#8221;  Pew Research Center. doi: <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.58094\/vkqh-h072\">10.58094\/vkqh-h072<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Buddhism is the only major religion whose global population shrank between 2010 and 2020. Learn why it declined in East Asia, particularly in Japan and South Korea.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":578,"featured_media":289944,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"layout-essay","format":"standard","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_api_pending":"","apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_hidden":false,"relatedPosts":[],"reportMaterials":[],"multiSectionReport":[],"package_parts__enabled":false,"package_parts":[],"datacite_doi":"{ \"@context\": \"http:\/\/schema.org\", \"@type\": \"CreativeWork\", \"@id\": \"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.58094\/vkqh-h072\", \"url\": \"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2026\/03\/11\/buddhisms-recent-decline-in-east-asia\", \"name\": \"Buddhism\u2019s Recent Decline in East Asia\", \"author\": [ { \"name\": \"Dalia Fahmy\", \"givenName\": \"Dalia\", \"familyName\": \"Fahmy\", \"affiliation\": { \"@type\": \"Organization\", \"@id\": \"https:\/\/ror.org\/02tvvdy44\", \"name\": \"Pew Research Center\" }, \"@type\": \"Person\", \"@id\": \"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-6563-6461\" }, { \"name\": \"Yunping Tong\", \"givenName\": \"Yunping\", \"familyName\": \"Tong\", \"affiliation\": { \"@type\": \"Organization\", \"@id\": \"https:\/\/ror.org\/02tvvdy44\", \"name\": \"Pew Research Center\" }, \"@type\": \"Person\", \"@id\": \"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2544-7733\" }, { \"name\": \"Bill Webster\", \"givenName\": \"Bill Webster\", \"affiliation\": { \"@type\": \"Organization\", \"@id\": \"https:\/\/ror.org\/02tvvdy44\", \"name\": \"Pew Research Center\" }, \"@type\": \"Person\", \"@id\": \"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-3694-4965\" }, { \"name\": \"Justine Coleman\", \"givenName\": \"Justine\", \"familyName\": \"Coleman\", \"affiliation\": { \"@type\": \"Organization\", \"@id\": \"https:\/\/ror.org\/02tvvdy44\", \"name\": \"Pew Research Center\" }, \"@type\": \"Person\", \"@id\": \"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-3836-3357\" } ], \"description\": \"Buddhism is the only major religion in the world with a falling number of adherents, according to Pew Research Center estimates for 2010 and 2020. 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