Priestly sex abuse scandals, scammy televangelists and partisan pastors. In today’s environment the list of reasons why people don’t trust religion like they used to is on the tip of the tongue of every pundit, and there is no shortage of people willing to armchair quarterback their own take on the problem with a seemingly ailing religion in America.

And they may have a point — to a point.

Confidence in religion is not what it used to be. Every year the General Social Survey asks respondents about their trust across different areas of society, including “organized religion.”

In 1973, only about 16% of Americans exhibited “hardly any confidence” (the lowest option offered) in religion. Nearly 50 years later, in 2024, over one-third or 35% of Americans had this same lack of confidence.

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