For the past two decades, there has been a rapid national shift away from identification with organized religion. And last year, according to the best available measurement of long-term trends in American religious identification, a new milestone was reached. More Americans between the ages of 18-30 now identify with no religion than identify as either Protestant or Catholic.
Here is the data, from the 2012 General Social Survey:
The trend away from identifying with organized religion will continue, as Americans of every age group are less likely to identify with organized religion than every age group which came before them. For example, 32 percent of Americans aged 18-24 identify with no religion, compared to 29 percent among Americans aged 25-34. Continue below the fold to read more about this decline in identifying with organized religion.