The Jewish Place in America’s Religious Landscape

Abstract

All major religious groups in the United States face the challenge of rapidly rising numbers of Americans disaffiliating from religion. The American Jewish community, however, is relatively healthy. Drawing on analyses using the 2007 and 2014 Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Studies, we find that, compared with many other religious groups, Jewish retention rates are high. Moreover, the percentage of U.S. adults who say their religion is Jewish has remained relatively stable in recent years. This paper further explores key similarities and differences between Jews and other U.S. religious groups, comparing rates of switching and retention, rates of intermarriage and other demographic characteristics (including fertility, age, education, income and race); religious beliefs and practices; and, finally, a few comparative political measures.