clipped from www.nytimes.com

More than a quarter of adult Americans have left the faith of their childhood to join another religion or no religion, according to a new survey of religious affiliation by the Pew Forum

The report, titled “U.S. Religious Landscape Survey,” depicts a highly fluid and diverse national religious life.

44 percent of Americans have switched religious affiliations

Americans are moving among faiths, as denominational loyalty erodes

Roman Catholic Church “has experienced the greatest net losses as a result of affiliation changes.” The survey also indicates that the group that had the greatest net gain was the unaffiliated. More than 16 percent of American adults say they are not part of any organized faith, which makes the unaffiliated the country’s fourth largest “religious group.”

politicians will be looking at this survey to see what groups they ought to target

“If the Hindu population is negligible, they won’t have to worry about it. But if it is wealthy, then they may have to pay attention.”