Religious Affiliation in the US: 1990-2001

How Americans Identify Themselves

So you thought that only conservative churches were growing, or that Christianity in general was in a period of rapid decline during the 1990's.

Think again. When asked, "What is your religion, if any?," researchers found that Americans identified themselves as being affiliated with specific denominations. Extrapolated across the entire population, these responses indicate patterns of affiliation, including growth or decline of various denominations across an eleven year period. Surprisingly, the fastest growing denominational group in the US during this period was also one of the most liberal, namely, the United Church of Christ. Baptists, considered one of the more conservative groups, showed no growth, and another conservative denomination, the Jehovah's Witnesses, actually saw a decline in the number of people identifying themselves as such. Meanwhile, the Presbyterians and Episcopalians, though caught up during this period in painful battles over the ordination of gay and lesbian members, also posted solid gains.