Declining Religious Affiliation in North America: Implications for Philanthropy and Non-Profits
Declining Religious Affiliation in North America: Implications for Philanthropy and Non-Profits
Introduction
In October 2022, Statistics Canada announced that religious affiliation in Canada was experiencing its highest decline since the origins and religions of the population began to be measured by the Canadian census in 1871. According to studies by the Pew Research Center and studies based on other data sources, a similar trend is observed in other predominantly Christian countries (United States, Australia, and several European countries), namely a decline in Christianity and an increase in other religions and the number of people with no religious affiliation.
Historically, Canada has been characterized by its religious diversity. This religious diversity is closely linked to the diversity of Canadians’ origins and cultural differences across the country. Understanding the changes in Canada’s religious landscape allows for a better understanding of the country’s cultural and social history, and the diversity of its current population. From a sociological standpoint, the study of the evolution of religion allows for a better understanding of some of the changes modern societies are facing. In addition, religion is important with respect to population change because it can influence important demographic factors such as marriage, divorce, and fertility.
Religious diversity is not limited to religious affiliation: there are many different ways to experience religion individually. That is, there are a variety of practices, beliefs, and roles that religion or spirituality play in the lives of individuals.
The most current Canadian Census took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic affected everyone differently and exacerbated the inequalities that existed before its onset. Issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion garnered increased attention. For example, the Black Lives Matter movement, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on residential schools, and anti-Asian discrimination stemming from the pandemic became the subject of much discussion. Statistics suggest that the lows of church attendance during COVID have not recovered.
A better understanding of the diversity and evolution of religious practices and beliefs in Canadian society can help foster inclusion and social cohesion in Canada and provide information to non-profit leaders to help them anticipate change and lead going into the future.
2021 Census Highlights
In 2021, over 19.3 million people reported a Christian religion, representing just over half of the Canadian population (53.3%). However, this proportion is down from 67.3% in 2011 and 77.1% in 2001. Catholics are the largest Christian denomination in Canada, with 10.9 million people (29.9%) in 2021. The United Church (3.3%) and the Anglican Church (3.1%), two other Christian denominations, each had more than 1 million people in Canada. Orthodox Christians (1.7%), Baptists (1.2%), and Pentecostals and other Charismatics (1.1%) were the other Christian denominations most often reported.
Approximately 12.6 million people, or more than one-third of Canada's population, reported having no religious affiliation. The proportion of this population has more than doubled in 20 years, going from 16.5% in 2001 to 34.6% in 2021.
The decline in religious affiliation is consistent with other findings that fewer people reported the importance of religious or spiritual beliefs in their lives, down from 71.0% in 2003 to 54.1% in 2019.
While small, the proportion of Canada's population who reported being Muslim, Hindu, or Sikh has more than doubled in 20 years. From 2001 to 2021, these shares rose from 2.0% to 4.9% for Muslims, from 1.0% to 2.3% for Hindus and from 0.9% to 2.1% for Sikhs.
Approximately 335,000 people reported being Jewish in 2021. This number has changed little over the last 20 years; in 2001, 330,000 reported a Jewish affiliation. Although Canada's total population grew, the proportion of the population with Jewish religious affiliation decreased slightly from 1.1% in 2001 to 0.9% in 2021.
Approximately 81,000 people, or 0.2% of the total population, reported a traditional Indigenous spirituality in the 2021 Census. The vast majority (90.2%) of people who reported this religious affiliation were First Nations people.
Of the 1.8 million people with an Indigenous identity in Canada, nearly half (47.0%) reported having no religious affiliation and more than one-quarter (26.9%) reported being Catholic.
The proportion of the population who reported a religion other than Christianity was much higher in large urban centres (15.4%) than in small urban centres (3.2%) and rural areas (2.2%).
Women were more likely than men to report having a religious affiliation (72% versus 64%) or to consider their religious or spiritual beliefs to be somewhat or very important to how they live their lives (61% versus 47%).
What are the Implications for Non-Profits and Philanthropy?
Information on the religion of the population is often used by governments, religious organizations, social service providers, and researchers in Canada. They are also used to understand diversity in Canada, identify and understand inequalities and disparities in our social and economic fabric, and the different experiences and philanthropic behaviors of religious groups. As organized religion wanes, faith-based groups arguably stand to lose the most. That can be a big blow to the non-profit world. For example, among the nearly 1.5 million operating charities in the United States (not including foundations) are 384,000 houses of worship and another 109,000 non-profits with a religious mission – 34 percent of the total, according to an analysis by Indiana University. An additional 177,000 organizations are "faith inspired" i.e. organizations in the social services, health, education, or other fields that have some tie to a religion.
Faith-inspired groups dominate services to the vulnerable. They represent four out of every 10 international-aid groups and account for 40 percent of spending on social services, according to an analysis by the consultancy Bridgespan. Nearly three-quarters of addiction-treatment programs are based at least in part on spirituality.
In some cases, religion is just a whisper in a group's identity -- a nod on the website to a founding in faith. But many groups continue to lean on houses of worship for funding, volunteers, office or operations support, and more.
If the decline in organized religion culls the number of faith-based groups, it might result in a welcome weeding out of ineffective organizations. Some weak groups "have been able to ride on the coattails of healthy churches, says a top executive at a faith-based grant maker. "If they can't stand on their own two feet without a captive audience, maybe it's OK that they contract and higher-performing organizations step in to fill the gap."
Yet there is no lack of significant organizations with faith and church support at their core. The Christian international-aid organization World Vision – with $1.4 billion in revenue, making it one of the largest non-profits in the United States -- has a team of 40 who visit churches and build partnerships. Through these connections, it raises money for child sponsorships and musters participants for fundraising events like marathons.
What Secular Non-Profits Lose
Secular non-profits stand to lose support as well. People who are religiously affiliated have historically been more charitable. Sixty-two percent of households in which members regularly attend worship give to charities of all kinds. That compares with 46 percent of households with no religious affiliation, according to research by the Giving USA Foundation and the Lilly School at Indiana University. However, generosity is not a character trait exclusive to the devout. And research indicates that many of those who don't belong to a congregation remain spiritually inclined – and presumably charitably minded. Yet outside a congregation, without the structure and nudges and community that it provides, giving may be more ephemeral.
Most religions teach habits and principles that are fundamental to philanthropy: that we should love and care for one another. Compassion and kindness taught in sermons and worship also motivate volunteerism. Congregations are very good -- perhaps uniquely good in society -- at mobilizing small groups of volunteers. Collectively, they are an army: The Salvation Army and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief -- among the largest disaster-relief organizations in the United States -- train and deploy some 125,000 volunteers altogether.
Church closures are happening at a time when many people lack strong social ties. Last year, the U.S. surgeon general issued an advisory naming loneliness and isolation as serious threats to public health. Just 39 percent of U.S. adults described themselves as very connected to others, according to a 2022 study. That disconnection can have a profound impact on health equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, a 2017 study found.
Even as fewer people attend religious services, many are still searching for meaning in their lives. Angie Thurston studied this trend in young people as a graduate student at Harvard Divinity School. Fascinated by the uptick in millennials who called themselves spiritual but not religious, Thurston and a co-researcher mapped where they went to find community and meaning. Often, they went to non-profits. Thurston and her colleague spoke to the people heading those organizations. A consistent refrain amongst those leaders was that they were being treated like pastors.
Non-profits are increasingly filling a spiritual void -- whether they're ready to or not.
The decline of organized religion doesn't augur well for neighborhoods where a house of worship is a force for good. Healthy congregations often run food pantries, medical clinics, voter-education classes, and other programs. Their buildings are community gathering places -- for youth sports, scout troops, civic groups, substance-abuse programs, theater and music productions, and more. A University of Pennsylvania study found that 87 percent of those who attend community programs and events at a house of worship are not members of the congregation.
Researchers also talk of an "invisible safety net" in congregations -- informal support among members when someone meets adversity like losing a job or falling behind on rent. When this support disappears, what will fill the void? Non-profits that serve the vulnerable can expect their workload will grow.
In Washington, D.C., the city's once-strong network of Black Protestant churches is shrinking -- at no small cost. It was the sanctuaries of Black churches where activists gathered to plan the 1963 March on Washington and other civil-rights efforts. It was Black clergy who led the fight for the city's first elected mayor and legislative body. And it was Black churches that helped neighborhoods survive the city's crack epidemic of the '80s and '90s. The vast majority of churches closed in Washington have been converted to condominiums. Black churches were really loving and caring for a city that no one else cared for.
Better Off Without Faith?
Any assessment of organized religion's positive impact must be balanced against the often posited harm it inflicts. Nearly half of Americans who aren't religiously affiliated believe the country is better off without organized faith, according to a new survey by the American Enterprise Institute. Such antagonism has mushroomed in the wake of clergy abuse and corruption scandals, and subsequent cover-ups. In Canada, the revelations of the deaths and abuse of children in residential schools have caused many to experience religious trauma and a loss of faith.
The condemnation of LGBTQ+ identities, opposition to women’s bodily autonomy, and vaccine denial have also driven some people away from traditional religions for which those positions are an important part of identity. A 2022 Angus Reid Institute survey found that many Canadians now believe Catholicism, evangelical Christianity, and Islam are more damaging to society than beneficial.
Recent generations are less likely than the generations that came before them to report a religious affiliation, to participate in group or individual religious activities, or to place a high value on religious and spiritual beliefs in how they live their lives. Family structures of the younger generations are growing up with parents who are non-religious and grandparents who are non-religious. But this allows space for young minds to pave a path of their own and shape and create values they wish to uphold, and realizing that good values can exist even without the presence of religion. The growing secularization of society doesn’t necessarily translate into a decline in spirituality.
Transformation
Religious affiliation, the frequency of participation in group religious activities, the frequency of engaging in religious or spiritual activities on one’s own, and the importance placed on religious and spiritual beliefs in one’s life have all been in sharp decline in recent decades. With the closure of houses of worship, many people are losing the social connections and support networks that come with regular religious practice.
Looking to the future, it's possible that new expressions of organized faith will center on the common good. Micro-church communities, a relatively new phenomenon, often eschew brick-and-mortar facilities to anchor themselves on a model of service in disadvantaged neighborhoods. There's a model that's emerging that is fairly philanthropic but noninstitutional. Rabbi Ariel Root Wölpe founded Ma'alot, a Jewish community in Atlanta that meets outdoors and believes in the transformative power of nature, music, and ancient Jewish wisdom. Ma'alot could move to its own building at some point, Wölpe says, but only if it designs that space as a vibrant community center with amenities like a cafe and co-working space. "When you walk into a synagogue now during the week, it's a cavernous, unused space that thousands or millions of dollars are being paid into, and we're not getting a return."
The 150-year-old Lincoln Congregational Temple United Church of Christ in Washington, D.C. – which had been a headquarters for organizers of the 1963 March on Washington and a venue for such Black performing artists as Marian Anderson and Paul Robeson – shuttered in 2018 but reopened the next year as a community center.
All Saints Episcopal Church in East Lansing, Michigan earmarked $130,000 -- half of what it collected from the sale of its rectory – for racial reparations. Synagogues in places as different as St. Louis and Ottumwa, Iowa, have been turned into arts centers. Arlington Presbyterian outside Washington, D.C. is one of many churches that have converted all or part of their property to affordable housing.
Other congregations seek new life -- and revival of their finances -- through a deepened commitment to service and the common good. That can mean new non-profit partnerships -- and the reimagining of their often-empty buildings.
Urban Grace, an ecumenical church in the theater district of Tacoma, Washington, has fashioned itself as a hub for the arts, creating rehearsal space, studios, and offices for area non-profits. In west Philadelphia, Calvary United Methodist turned its century-old English Gothic building into a community and cultural center. In Louisville, Kentucky, a community-development non-profit called Molo Village, started by St. Peter's United Church of Christ, runs the Village @ West Jefferson, a $7.8 million mixed-used complex on what used to be the church's parking lot. It features a credit union, a coffee shop, a day-care center, a health care facility, youth programs, and the first sit-down restaurant on the street in a half century.
The American Red Cross includes chaplains on its teams of volunteers that support people who have survived disasters. The San Francisco Night Ministry deploys groups of chaplains and faith leaders to walk the city's streets and attend to unhoused people's spiritual needs and distribute hygiene kits. With the help of the non-profit Faith Matters, chaplains are embedding in social movements.
There's a myth in the world that community builds itself, but it doesn't. How might we create church-like community in areas that need support? Whatever supplants today's forms of worship, many worry it won't easily replicate the social good. The work of congregations might be approximated through other means, says Michael Wear, who directed faith outreach for President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign and now leads the Center for Christianity and Public Life. "But we need to question the assumption that that will just naturally happen."
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