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Protestants now just over half of US adults, study finds

Protestants in the United States may soon become a minority in a country long perceived as predominately Protestant, according to a new study of the US religious landscape, reports Ecumenical News International. The study by the Washington-based Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found that the number of Protestants in the United States now makes up about 51 percent of the population. This is in sharp contrast to the mid-1980s, when about two-thirds of the nation was Protestant. "Moreover, the Protestant population is characterised by significant internal diversity and fragmentation, encompassing hundreds of different denominations," the Pew Forum noted in a summary. The study also found that about 44 percent of US adults have changed their religious affiliation. Some have moved from one faith to another, others have switched denominations, and a third group no longer has any religious affiliation.

[03/01/2008]

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