A sweeping shift is reshaping American religious life, according to new research led by Cornell University: More Americans are walking away from traditional religious institutions—not to reject spirituality, but to pursue it on their own terms.
Published April 14 in Socius, the study traces a “remarkable” transformation that spans the political spectrum and defies the assumption that religious decline reflects a turn toward secularism. Instead, the findings suggest that growing numbers are embracing spiritual practices outside churches, temples, and mosques in response to a mismatch between personal values and institutional priorities.
“People aren’t leaving religious institutions passively,” said Landon Schnabel, associate professor of sociology at Cornell and the study’s lead author. “They’re more intentionally choosing to follow what they really believe in.”
The research draws on data from the National Study of Youth and Religion, tracking more than 1,300 teens from 2003 to 2013. Over that period, institutional indicators—such as religious attendance and affiliation—declined far more sharply than individual expressions of faith, like private prayer or belief in God. Meditation was the only practice to show growth, while support for proselytizing waned.
The rise in “religious nones”—Americans who claim no religious affiliation—has climbed from 5% to more than 25% in just a few decades. Yet belief in a higher power remains steady, researchers found, indicating that many are not abandoning faith but redefining it outside formal systems.
The study included interviews with 54 young adults who distanced themselves from organized religion. One participant, Chris, left his Catholic upbringing after encountering teachings he saw as exclusionary—particularly on homosexuality. While he stepped away from church, he held onto a belief in something greater: “Whether you want to call it God or not.”
Authors describe a generation shaped by the internet, social change, and economic uncertainty—conditions that have prompted not disillusionment but what Schnabel calls “re-enchantment through something other than church.” The move reflects growing resistance to institutions seen as bureaucratic or politicized, and a broader cultural emphasis on authenticity and individual purpose.
The trend, Schnabel said, mirrors historical swings between rigid orthodoxy and fluid faith. “Americans are increasingly doing religion their own way, almost like DIY,” he said. “Spiritual innovation occurs when traditional ways of being religious don’t seem tenable anymore.”
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