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Religion changing in America

Posted at 10:25 AM, Feb 10, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-11 07:02:51-05

Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent for Christians, and as the liturgical season begins, we're looking at the way religion is changing in the United States.

The latest Pew Research Center information shows that Americans see religion differently today than they did even a few years ago.

The research shows that between 2007 and 2014, "The Christian share of the population fell from 78.4 percent to 70.6 percent." Pew attributes that change mostly to declines in the number of people who recognize themselves as Catholics and Protestants.

Additionally, the number of Americans who identify as being "unaffiliated" with any religion has sharply grown, from 16.1 percent to 22.8 percent.

The Pew research shows that these trends are seen across all races and education levels, although the drop in people identifying as Christian is seen mostly in young adults.

For a more in-depth look at the research, click here