It survived nearly 240 years. But according to Robert Jones, CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute in Washington, D.C., white, Christian America is at a foreseeable end.
In an event sponsored by the Elon University Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society, Jones spoke about the future of U.S. racial and religious demographics. He also shared how those demographics could impact the 2016 presidential election.
Moderated by Brian Pennington, professor and director of religious studies, Elon and surrounding community members attended the Feb. 4 event in the Moseley Center.
“The numbers I will show you tell a story,” Jones said. “They attempt to make some sense of the twists and turns of this election, particularly when applied to social issues like immigration, gay and lesbian rights and rights of reproduction.”
Jones presented the PRRI’s findings through a series of informative, statistical graphs and highlighted the dramatic changes in U.S. political sentiment resulting from evolving demographics.
One such graphic touched on the rise of non-religious individuals in the nation. Since 1974, the percentage of Americans who identify as non-religious surged from 7 percent to 23 percent.
As the percentage on non-believers is increasing, the number of people of faith is declining. For example, since 1974, the percentage of U.S. Protestants has dropped from 63 percent to 46 percent, according to Jones.
Jones said this shift in how people view themselves religiously has a dramatic effect on the electorate and greater political landscape.
“If the trends hold, by 2024 we will see the first time when the white, Christian voter population is a minority,” Jones said.
This has the potential to significantly affect upcoming elections.
According to Jones, about 80 percent of Mitt Romney’s voters were white Christians, while only 35 percent of President Barack Obama’s voters were white Christians. President Obama relied more heavily on minority Christians and the religiously unaffiliated.
Jones also noted the changes that come with the introduction of new generations.
According to his data, only 11 percent of U.S. citizens age 65 and older identify as non-religious while 36 percent of those between the ages of 18-29 don’t affiliate themselves with any faith.
Elon University’s religious demographics reaffirm that age is a significant factor in spiritual identity.
Joel Harter, associate chaplain for Protestant Life, has observed the phenomenon on Elon University’s campus. He said that factors such as a generational mistrust for institutions are partly to blame.
“There is definitely a rise in students that identify as ‘none,’” Harter said. “I think a number of things play into this, such as distrust for the church because of things like sex scandals or the fact that churches are run the same way as they were in the 1950s. The message isn’t really connecting anymore.”
In additional surveying of the U.S. populations, Jones and his institute found that 43 percent of people older than 70 believe Christianity was and always has been a cornerstone of being American. Just 26 percent of Millennials share that same belief.
“Different generations think differently about their religious identity,” Harter said. “This also affects the way people think about what it means to be an American.”
A portion of Jones’ discussion was dedicated to what he referred to as “social anxieties” — issues of race, immigration and sexuality. His data showed the issues are very much partisan and racially founded.
Sixty-four percent of Republicans find reverse-discrimination — discrimination against whites to be as bad as that of traditional minorities — to be a major issue, while just 25 percent of Democrats felt the same.
Eighty-five percent of African-Americans said the shootings of unarmed black men is indicative of a larger cultural pattern while only a third of white Americans agreed.
Harter agrees Millennials’ social values are radically different from those of previous generations.
“Social issues are really important to this generation,” Harter said. “Issues like marriage equality and equal opportunity are championed by the youth of today. They are more socially active and therefore a lot less likely to conform to religious ideals that come from old school, pious teachings.”
Elon Community Church Senior Pastor Randy Orwig said he was troubled by the findings Jones had reported.
“I was expecting those figures, but hoped for something different,” Orwig said. “It saddens me that animosity is the end result, but we’re moving in a direction that is kind of unstoppable.”
Harter said he has heard criticisms that Elon is becoming less Christian.
“Sometimes we hear concerns that Elon de-emphasizes Christianity to achieve a multi-faith community,” he said. “Some might call this ‘Christian fragility,’ but we still provide lots of resources for Christians on campus as well as for every other faith.”