Morality detaches from God

A 2025 Pew survey of 25 countries and repeated U.S. polling show a rising share of people who say belief in God is not necessary to be moral, with large cross‑country differences and a clear downward trend in the United States since 2002. This is an empirical shift in how moral authority is perceived — from religious grounding toward secular or alternative bases. — If moral legitimacy no longer maps neatly onto religiosity, that changes political rhetoric, coalition building, education debates, and how institutions claim moral authority.