Jews are among the religious groups in the United States most likely to retain their childhood faith, according to a Pew survey released on Monday.
Among Americans who say they were raised Jewish, 76% continue to identify with the religion. That number is similar to the percentage of Hindus, Muslims and Protestants who remain in their childhood faith (82%, 77% and 70%, respectively) and substantially higher than the retention rate among Catholics at 57% or Buddhists at 45%.
Jews also give different reasons than Catholics or Protestants for why they continue to observe their faith. According to the survey, respondents said they are more likely to cite tradition, a sense of community and Judaism’s teachings on social and political issues, and less likely to credit belief in the religions’ teachings, spiritual needs or giving meaning to their lives than Christians.
“Among U.S. adults who were raised Jewish and still identify as Jewish by religion, 60% say liking the traditions is an extremely or very important reason they are Jewish, and 57% cite liking the sense of community,” the survey authors write. “About half of Jews say they are Jewish because it’s their family religion and/or because it’s something they’re familiar with.”
Americans who say they are “atheist, agnostic or ‘nothing in particular’” account for some 29% of the U.S. population, despite 86% of American adults reporting that they were raised in a particular faith.
Childhood religious experiences appear to be a key predictor of whether children retain their faith as adults. The survey found that 84% of adults who say they had a positive religious experience as a child report being in the same faith today, while 69% of those who say they had a negative experience are no longer affiliated with any religion.
Among adults who switch religions, including to no religion at all, 85% report doing so before the age of 30, with 46% switching during childhood.
In line with previous surveys, Pew also found substantial differences in the religious lives of Republicans and Democrats.
“Among U.S. adults who were raised in a religion, 73% of Republicans and independents who lean toward the Republican Party still identify with the religion in which they were raised, compared with 56% of Democrats and Democratic leaners,” Pew writes. “Meanwhile, Democrats who were raised in a religion are more likely to be religious ‘nones’ today compared with Republicans who were raised in a religion.”
The poll also found that among those who were not raised in a religion, Republicans were more likely than Democrats to identify with a faith as an adult.
