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Losing Faith? Americans Becoming Less Religious

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Americans are becoming less religious, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center.

The survey of more than 35,000 American adults reveals a modest decline in percentages of those who believe in God, pray every day, and attend church or some type of religious service regularly.

The study found "a great deal of stability" among those it describes as part of the "U.S. religious landscape."

Researchers attribute the decline to increasing numbers of Americans, especially in the Millennial generation, with no religious affiliation, i.e., they do not belong to any organized faith group.

According to the study, religiously affiliated Americans are more devout than they were previously.

Meanwhile, the percentage of American adults who say they believe in God declined from 92 percent in a 2007 study to 89 percent in the new study. Researchers point out that the percentage of Americans who believe in God is much higher than other modern industrial countries. 

The "nones," or the religiously unaffiliated, make up 23 percent of the adult population, compared with 16 percent in the 2007 study.

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