According to data published on Wednesday by the Pew Research Center, the religious share of Asian American population has declined.
The report analyzed religious beliefs across Asian American groups and found that the percentage which was 26% in 2012 has risen up to 32% in 2023.
While many Asian Americans say they feel a connection with their religious traditions, it is mostly because of nonreligious reasons. This was about 40% of Asian Americans.
The percentage of Asian American Christians has dropped substantially from 42% in 2012 to 34% now.
Also down by 3% is Buddhism.
Hinduism has increased from 10% to 11% and Islam has increased from 4% to 6%, separately.
Asian Americans born in the U.S., who are younger than 50, and are Democratic were found to be more religiously unaffiliated in the survey.
Next, Chinese, Japanese and Americans are also the least religious among all surveyed ethnic groups at 56% and 47%.
According to an expert, the overall decline in religiosity isn’t really unbelievable and is reflected in the American population at large.
This can be substantiated by a 2021 study done by the research centre, where it was found that the percentage of adults with no religion grew from 16% to 29%.
Dheepa Sundaram, assistant professor of religious studies at the University of Denver, is of a different view though.
She said, that although the religiously affiliated population is shrinking, it might not mean Asian Americans are dropping spirituality altogether.
“I think the growing hold of Christian nationalist views, particularly among political leadership, has probably put off a lot of folks that don’t hold political positions that align with that view,” added the professor who was not involved in the survey.
“I’m wondering if positions on abortion, positions on immigration, positions…
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