A new survey by the Institute for Jewish and Community Research concludes that religious identity in the United States has declined over the past decade.
The San Francisco-based group's survey, titled "The Decline of Religious Identity in the United States," found that 16 percent of respondents declined to identify with a particular faith, up from less than 10 percent in the early '90s. This "no-religion" grouping is now the third-largest in the nation, behind Catholics, at 24 percent, and Baptists, at 17 percent.
"Although it is too soon to know if this evidence will mark the start of a long-term trend -- or exactly what the decline implies -- if it persists, these numbers clearly contradict the notion that all Americans are becoming more religious. While some Americans are becoming more religious, a significant number are moving in the other direction," said Gary A. Tobin, the of institute's president.