With a devout Kentucky clerk gaining notoriety for defying the Supreme Court over gay marriage, and Ben Carson prominent in the Republican primary race, you could be forgiven for thinking American faith is enjoying a golden age. Yet fresh research from Pew published on Tuesday reveals that America is becoming a less religious nation, according to markers that include church attendance and belief in God.
The polling revealed the number of people that admit to believing in a deity has decreased from 92 percent in 2007 to 89 percent in 2014, though the figure is still extraordinarily high for a western, industrialised country. The Religious Landscape Study also showed that the number of Americans who say they are "absolutely certain" God exists decreased from 71 percent in 2007 to 63 percent in 2014.
While a small fall was noticeable in the number of Americans who pray daily and regularly attend religious services, the decline was very pronounced among young adults -- those born from 1990 to 1996. Only 39 percent of these Millennials pray daily, compared to 67 percent of the generation born between 1928 and 1945.
The survey also revealed a stark religious divides among the political parties, with people unaffiliated to religion more likely to be Democrats (28 percent), compared to 14 percent of Republicans. Both the 2007 and 2014 studies surveyed more than 35,000 adults.