WASHINGTON — A new Pew Research study of spirituality looks at what people mean when they describe themselves as spiritual and how they distinguish it from being religious.
Since this is the group’s first study specifically looking at this concept, Pew researchers hesitate to say that the reported growing number of people who call themselves spiritual but not religious is a trend. Instead, they say the data collected in this study, “Spirituality Among Americans,” is a starting point for future comparisons on this topic.
“We plan to use our new questions about spiritual beliefs, practices, and experiences as a baseline, re-asking them periodically to see which measures are rising, which are falling and which are stable,” the researchers said.
In this year’s study, released Dec. 7 from online polls conducted July 31-Aug. 6, the research group found that nearly 70% of U.S. adults call themselves spiritual, or that spirituality is important in their lives, and 22% say they are spiritual but not religious.
The study also shows that 10% of U.S. adults are religious but not spiritual, and 48% are religious and spiritual, while 21% are neither spiritual nor religious.
Among Catholics, 14% were classified as spiritual but not religious, 56% were religious and spiritual, 18% were religious but not spiritual, and 12% were neither spiritual nor religious.
The definitions of both spiritual and religious are somewhat ambiguous though. According to the report, 27% of respondents defined spirituality by mentioning beliefs or faiths associated with organized religion and 24% said that being spiritual was about connections, often with God but also with a deeper understanding of oneself.
Some key findings in the study:
83% of U.S. adults believe people have a soul or spirit in addition to their physical body.
81% say there is something spiritual beyond the natural world, even if it cannot be seen.
74% say there are some things that science cannot explain.
57% believe that in the afterlife people can reunite with loved ones who also have died.
57% believe animals other than humans can have spirits or spiritual energies.
48% say parts of natural landscape such as mountains, rivers, or trees can have spirits or spiritual energies.
45% say they have had a sudden feeling of connection with something from beyond this world.
30% say they have personally encountered a spirit or unseen spiritual force.
When the study broke down the numbers to specific religious faiths, 46% of Catholic spiritual adults said that “finding a set of beliefs that I make for myself” is key to their spirituality compared to 36% of all spiritual and religiously affiliated respondents.
Forty-one percent of spiritual Catholics said being connected with loved ones who have died was important to their spirituality and 39% said continuing family traditions was essential to being spiritual. Both percentages were higher than they were for other religiously affiliated or religiously unaffiliated groups.
The study also showed that 71% of spiritual Catholics in the U.S. said that it was “definitely or probably true” that people who died can be united with other loved ones who have already died, and 64% of Catholics said it was likely that the dead can “provide assistance, protection or guidance to people who are still living.” Both percentages were also higher than from other groups in the survey.
Among all religiously affiliated, only 49% said that people who have died “can provide assistance, protection or guidance to people who are still living.”
Forty-four percent of spiritual Catholics said that “being connected with nature” was essential to what being spiritual means to them, higher than any other religiously affiliated group.
Seventy-six percent of spiritual Catholics said it was important to be connected with God and 74% of spiritual Catholics said it was important to be connected with “something bigger than myself.” Both responses were slightly lower than spiritually religious respondents, 81% of whom said being connected to God was important and 77% said it was important to be connected to something beyond themselves.
Forty-nine percent of Catholics said they were involved in a religious community, and 11% said they were involved in a spiritual community. Seventy-two percent of Catholics were likely to have a cross for religious purposes compared to 42% of Protestants and 33% of Catholics were likely to have a shrine, altar, or icon in their home for spiritual purposes.
In other findings: 87% of Catholics said they believe in heaven, and 73% said they believe in hell compared to 71% of all U.S. adults believing in heaven and 61% believing in hell.
In response to a question about having a sense of wonder about the universe, 36% of Catholics felt this monthly or more often compared to 46% of all U.S. adults.
The Pew researchers said previous research has found a decline in traditional religious beliefs and practices in recent years including fewer U.S. adults who say they believe in God with absolute certainty, attend religious services regularly, pray daily, and consider religion to be an important part of their lives.
They said that while media coverage has often focused on those who describe themselves as spiritual but not religious, there is not enough evidence that religion is being replaced by spirituality, partly because the two concepts are often hard to define and separate.
The researchers said they hoped this initial survey would help to “fill the gap.”
The survey is available here: pewresearch.org/religion/2023/12/07/spirituality-among-americans