Currently, 32% of U.S. adults say they have trust in organized religion or the church, hovering near all-time lows.
By Aaron Earls
Decades of community trust have eroded as few Americans say they have high levels of confidence in the church as an institution.
In the latest Gallup tracking poll, the percentage of U.S. adults who say they have confidence in organized religion or the church is hovering near all-time lows. Currently, 32% of Americans express a great deal or a lot of trust in the church, statistically unchanged from the low mark of 31% in 2022.
Disappearing confidence in the church
Gallup began tracking U.S. adults’ confidence in the church as an institution in 1973. In 1975, 68% expressed a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the church.
After a downward trend, the church experienced a boost of confidence in 2001, as did most other national institutions after the September 11 terrorist attacks. The church rebounded to 60% for the first time since 1987. That year marked the last time at least 3 in 5 Americans had confidence in the church.
Most U.S. adults (52%) said they had a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the church as an institution in 2019, the last year a majority held that belief. In 2018, confidence levels fell below 40% for the first time. They edged above that mark in 2020, only to drop back below in 2021 and even further in 2022. Despite the 1-point increase in 2023 and the steady percentage in 2024, the current 32% of Americans who have a great deal or fair amount of confidence in the church marks the second-lowest percentage ever.
Those less likely to trust the church
Some groups of U.S. adults are less trusting of the church than others. Women (28%) have lower levels of confidence than men (36%). While around 2 in 5 adults 55 and older (39%) express a great deal or quite a lot of trust in the church, fewer 18- to 34-year-olds (26%) and 35- to 54-year-olds (28%) say the same.
While around 2 in 5 adults 55 and older (39%) express a great deal or quite a lot of trust in the church, fewer 18- to 34-year-olds (26%) and 35- to 54-year-olds (28%) say the same, according to Gallup. Share on XAmericans with less formal education are more likely to say they trust the church. Around 2 in 5 of those with a high school diploma or less (39%) have confidence in organized religion compared to 28% who have at least some college. That is the inverse of church attendance trends, where those with a high school education or less are more likely to say they never attend church services.
Additionally, Democrats (22%) and Independents (28%) are far less likely than Republicans (49%) to say they trust organized religion. As churchgoers increasingly say they prefer to be part of a congregation that shares their politics and non-Republicans are most likely to never attend church, congregations may grow politically segregated and struggle to reach those who aren’t GOP voters.
Distrust in institutions as a whole
The church isn’t alone in failing to garner trust. Of all the institutions included in the survey, the majority only expressed confidence in small businesses (68%), the military (61%), and the police (51%).
Right above the church is higher education (36%) and the medical system (36%). Below organized religion is the U.S. Supreme Court (30%), public schools (29%), organized labor (28%), large technology companies (27%), banks (27%), the presidency (26%). Even fewer say they trust the criminal justice system (21%), newspapers (18%), big businesses (16%), television news (12%), and Congress (9%).
The public’s average confidence level in the 14 institutions rated each year by Gallup since 1993 remains near historic lows. On average, 28% of U.S. adults currently have high levels of trust in those institutions.
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