(OPINION) Christian Post – While nearly 80 percent of Americans were “convinced” just over a decade ago that God exists, only 64 percent of Americans today are so strongly persuaded in their belief in God, a new analysis from Gallup says. Citing responses the question of belief in God asked in three different ways in recent years, Gallup found that when respondents were simply asked “Do you believe in God?,” some 87 percent of respondents say “yes.” When asked if they were “convinced” that God exists, that number dropped to 64 percent.
“The array of Gallup results leads to the conclusion that putting a percentage on Americans’ belief in God depends on how you define ‘belief.’ If the standard is absolute certainty — no hedging and no doubts — it’s somewhere around two-thirds. If the standard is a propensity to believe rather than not to believe, then the figure is somewhere north of three-quarters,” Gallup’s Zach Hrynowski said.
Gallup’s analysis comes on the heels of a new study from the Pew Research Center in October that says only 65 percent of Americans now identify as Christian. The study showed significant growth among Americans who identify as religiously unaffiliated — a group that includes atheists, agnostics and people who don’t identify with any religion. READ MORE
