Survey report September 28, 2023

America’s Crisis of Confidence: Rising Mistrust, Conspiracies, and Vaccine Hesitancy After COVID-19

Daniel A. Cox, M. Anthony Mills, Ian R. Banks, Kelsey Eyre Hammond, Kyle Gray

Young man sitting in a dark room before a wall featuring various conspiracy theory-related items illuminated by a computer screen

America is experiencing a crosscutting crisis of expertise and scientific distrust accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic that poses significant challenges to democratic debate and public decision-making Continue Reading →

Event January 30, 2023

Reorganized Religion with Bob Smietana

Kyle Gray

Cover of Bob Smietana's book Reorganized Religion

America’s rapidly changing religious landscape has spurred many questions about the cause of its decline and predictions about what the future holds. In his new book, Reorganized Religion: The Reshaping of the American Church and Why It Matters (Worthy Publishing, 2022), Religion News Service’s Bob Smietana follows the decline of mainstream Christian denominations, the rise of “disorganized disbelievers,” and how politics shapes religious communities and what this means for the the future of our civil society. Continue Reading →

Survey report January 5, 2023

Faith After the Pandemic: How COVID-19 Changed American Religion

Lindsey Witt-Swanson, Jennifer Benz, Daniel A. Cox

Red leather-bound Qur'an on a wooden table with prayer beads and a light blue surgical mask draped over top.

The Survey Center on American Life at AEI teamed up with researchers at NORC at the University of Chicago to measure religious affiliation and attendance both before the pandemic (2018 to March 2020) and again in spring 2022, revealing who remained at the pews, who returned to the pews, and who left. Continue Reading →

The Democratic Party has experienced seismic demographic changes over the past few decades; becoming less Christian, more liberal, more educated, and more racially and ethnically diverse. These changes profoundly impact the Democratic Party’s future political priorities and electoral fortunes. Continue Reading →

Another poll, another record broken in the country’s continuing religious descent. A new Gallup poll finds that 81 percent of Americans say that they believe in God, representing a six point drop over the last five years. Continue Reading →

Blog May 23, 2022

Jews and the Faith of Their Children

Samuel J. Abrams

A children's coloring book of the Jewish Haggdah,

Just half of Jews in America today believe it is important for children to be brought up in a religion so they can learn good values, making the Jewish community an outlier compared to other religious traditions. Continue Reading →

Blog April 14, 2022

Jewish Religious Exceptionalism

Samuel J. Abrams

Blessing and preparing matzah in preparation for the Jewish holiday of Passover.

Data from the Survey Center on American Life’s new American National Family Life Survey reveals that while Jews heavily embrace cultural traditions such as foodways and festivals, their levels of engagement with conventional forms of religious practice, such as regular worship and religious marriage ceremonies, are much lower than national norms. Continue Reading →

Survey report March 24, 2022

Generation Z and the Future of Faith in America

Daniel A. Cox

A cartoon drawing of a church. Inside of the church is a pastor looking at empty pews.

The religious and social experiences of young adults today are entirely different than previous generations. New family dynamics and parenting choices are reshaping the religious experiences of young people, setting them on a very different trajectory than past generations and making Generation Z the least religious generation. Continue Reading →

Blog March 1, 2022

Diversity and Disconnection

Daniel A. Cox, Beatrice Lee, Dana Popky

Photo of main street, Grass Valley California

Americans who live in areas packed with neighborhood amenities tend to have a more diverse set of friends and acquaintances. Continue Reading →

Survey report February 9, 2022

Emerging Trends and Enduring Patterns in American Family Life

Daniel A. Cox

Artists rendition of several families sitting at tables having family dinners.

Family dynamics are always evolving, but the emergence of new technologies, shifting economic realities, new cultural sensibilities, and social arrangements have reshaped family life dramatically. But there are enduring patterns in American family life as well. Women still do far more of the household chores, including cooking, cleaning, and laundry. Formative experiences, such as divorce, parental favoritism, and relationships have far-reaching influence. Continue Reading →

Survey Reports

gender divide banner

Daniel A. Cox, Kelsey Eyre Hammond
September 24, 2024

The Politics of Progress and Privilege: How America’s Gender Gap Is Reshaping the 2024 Election

Americans are increasingly divided on gendered issues. A new report by the Survey Center on American Life provides context for how these divisions might impact the results of the 2024 Presidential election. Continue Reading →

Daniel A. Cox, Sam Pressler
August 22, 2024

Disconnected: The Growing Class Divide in American Civic Life

Disconnected: Places and Spaces presents new survey findings that suggest Americans are less connected than ever before. Continue Reading →

Daniel A. Cox, Kyle Gray, Kelsey Eyre Hammond
May 28, 2024

An Unsettled Electorate: How Uncertainty and Apathy Are Shaping the 2024 Election

A survey of more than 6,500 US adults focused on the 2024 presidential election reveals a pessimistic and unsettled American electorate fractured by education, ideology, class, and gender. Continue Reading →

Generation Z and the Transformation of American Adolescence Cover Image

Daniel A. Cox, Kelsey Eyre Hammond, Kyle Gray
November 9, 2023

Generation Z and the Transformation of American Adolescence: How Gen Z’s Formative Experiences Shape Its Politics, Priorities, and Future

This report explores the foundational differences between American generations through their formative adolescent experiences. Continue Reading →