Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in United States
United States: Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations was 53.1% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in United States, 1984–2022
Source: Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in United States is 53.1%, measured in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
The figure is down 18.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in United States peaked at 76.7% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 53.1%, in 2022.
United States ranks 17th of 38 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 76.7% | — |
| 1993 | 67.7% | -11.8% |
| 1998 | 75.0% | +10.9% |
| 2004 | 74.2% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 65.5% | -11.8% |
| 2014 | 57.6% | -12.1% |
| 2022 | 53.1% | -7.8% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 53.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 46.0%, 1.2× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 76.7% | 76.7% | 76.7% | 1 |
| 1990s | 71.3% | 67.7% | 75.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 74.2% | 74.2% | 74.2% | 1 |
| 2010s | 61.5% | 57.6% | 65.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 53.1% | 53.1% | 53.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near United States
More social development data for United States
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 457,647 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,667 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,667 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0013 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in United States?
- Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in United States was 53.1% in 2022, according to Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of people who trust churches and religious organizations recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 76.7% in 1984.
- What is the lowest share of people who trust churches and religious organizations recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.1% in 2022.
- How does United States rank for share of people who trust churches and religious organizations?
- United States ranks 17th out of 38 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of people who trust churches and religious organizations rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
% of respondents replying that they "trust completely" or "trust somewhat" when asked "I am going to name a number of organizations. For each one, could you tell me how much confidence you have in them: is it a great deal of confidence, quite a lot of confidence, not very much confidence or none at all?" in the organization "The Churches (mosque, temple, etc.)".