WA among least religious states, new study finds

Washington qualified as one of the least religious and spiritual states in the country, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center.

The evergreen state was tied for No. 37 in the U.S. among respondents who identified themselves as “very religious,” tied with New York.

Vermont ranked the lowest, with just 13% claiming to be highly religious, while Mississippi ranked the highest with 50%. Washington had a 25% response rate.

Oregon ranked as an even less religious state than Washington, qualifying as No. 46 with only 19% of the population categorizing themselves as highly religious.

Among the questions asked in the survey was, “Do you believe you have a soul or a spirit?” Washington tallied the second-lowest percentage of “yes” responses, with just 80% believing they have a soul or a spirit. The lowest? Oregon, with 79%.

The national average for the above question was 86%.

The Religious Landscape Study, curated by the Pew Research Center, was compiled after surveying approximately 37,000 adults nationwide from July 17, 2023, to March 4, 2024.

Breakdown of religions in WA

Fifty-one percent of Washingtonians stated they are Christian.

Evangelical Protestants had the highest representation of any particular religious sect in Washington, at 23%, followed by Catholics (14%) and mainline Protestants (9%).

Mormons and Buddhists represent 3% of the adult Washington population, followed by Muslims (2%), Hindus (1%), and Jews (1%).

Thirty-eight percent of Washington adults claimed they were unaffiliated with any religion.

Decrease in Christianity flatlining nationally

According to the study, the decrease in citizens identifying as Christian has slowed nationally. From 2007 to 2019, the percentage of survey respondents who identified as Christian dropped from 78% to 63%. But, since 2019, the percentage has flatlined, maintaining its 63% mark.

“For the last five years, between 2019 and 2024, the Christian share of the adult population has been relatively stable, hovering between 60% and 64%,” the study stated. “Meanwhile, the share of Americans who identify with a religion other than Christianity has been trending upward, though it is still in single digits.”

Forty-four percent of respondents said they pray at least once a day, while 33% said they go to a religious service at least once a month.

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