Southern religiosity is converging

Pew's 2023–24 Religious Landscape Study shows the U.S. South remains the most religious region but has declined enough that its current levels of affiliation and daily prayer resemble the Northeast and West in 2007. The trend is nationwide: affiliation, daily prayer and absolute certainty in belief in God have fallen in every region since 2007. — If Southern religiosity continues to converge with national levels, it could reshape regional political alignments, the social role of churches, and cultural narratives that assume a uniquely 'religious South.'