Data: PRRI American Identity Survey, May 1-18, 2026 , PRRI American Identity Report; Chart: Russell Contreras/Axios A profound identity crisis has gripped America ahead of its 250th birthday : Citizens are less proud, less religiously unified and losing faith that the American Dream still works. Why it matters: Democracies can survive policy brawls. They struggle to function when citizens lose faith in shared institutions, abandon a common civic story and use politics to replace religion and community. - A new survey from the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) finds that Americans are retreating into ideological camps, viewing the opposing side not as a political rival, but as threats to democracy itself. The big…
America's fastest-growing religious group is also one of the hardest — and costliest — to reach: the "nones." Why it matters: Religiously unaffiliated Americans now make up a large and growing share of the electorate. But without church-based networks, they're significantly more expensive for campaigns to reach and mobilize. - "Nones" are geographically and socially dispersed. - Campaigns must rely on costly digital ads, canvassing and persuasion to reach them. By the numbers: A record 29% of Americans now identify as religiously unaffiliated — the largest single religious cohort, surpassing Catholics (19%) and evangelical Protestants (23%), per Pew Research Center . - Among Gen Z , it's even higher: Roughly 4 in 10 adults ages…
Data: PRRI; Note: Map shows the share who were classified as "adherents" or "sympathizers" based on their responses to five questions; Map: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals Christian nationalism is now deeply entrenched inside today's Republican Party, according to a sweeping 50-state survey. Why it matters: The once-fringe ideology holds that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation and should be governed according to strict Christian values, even as the country becomes less religious and more racially diverse . - The divide reflects a broader clash over whether America's future is pluralistic or rooted in a singular religious-national identity. By the numbers: About one-third of Americans qualify as Christian nationalism "adherents" or…